Now a Baltimore Raven, Diontae Johnson admits he has some butterflies ahead of his first game back in Pittsburgh when the Steelers and Ravens get together for the first time this season on Sunday afternoon. While he’s no longer with the team, he hasn’t cut off all ties from the locker room he called home, even if walking into the away side will feel unusual.
“I talk to T.J. Watt a little bit,” Johnson said via the Ravens’ YouTube channel when asked who he stays in contact with. “Cam Heyward. George Pickens. Calvin Austin. Najee, a little bit. Cam Sutton. Pretty much the guys I was there with. We’ve got a good relationship, so we keep in touch a little bit.”
Essentially, the veteran defensive players and those he was in the wide receiver room with, a group that now looks far different compared to a season ago. Gone from 2023 are Allen Robinson, Miles Boykin, and Johnson. In their place are Van Jefferson, Mike Williams, Scotty Miller, Ben Skowronek, and, before his injury, Roman Wilson.
Of course, it’s not like Johnson has been gone for long, even if this is his second team since being traded. Pittsburgh dealt him to the Carolina Panthers in March before the Panthers flipped him for pennies late last month.
So far, Johnson’s impact with the Ravens has been muted. In two games, he’s caught one pass for 6-yards, failing to get out of bounds before the half on his only reception. Even Mike Tomlin didn’t show much consideration for Johnson, focusing on starters like Zay Flowers and the Ravens’ tight ends instead.
But there’s reason to believe Diontae Johnson could have a bigger impact. It’s hard for any player to make an immediate splash after being traded. Mike Williams made a big touchdown catch against Washington but still saw limited playing time and may not have had that opportunity had Calvin Austin III not gotten hurt minutes earlier. The Ravens also had a short week after Johnson’s first game, a Sunday-to-Thursday turnaround that gave him little time to learn the system. With a 10-day mini-bye since their last contest, Johnson is set to see an increased role in the offense. While he doesn’t seem spiteful about being traded, revenge is certainly on his mind.
“Just being back in that stadium where it all started, it’s gonna be different. I actually never been in the away locker room, so that’s gonna be different for me…It’s a big moment for me.”
When Johnson sees those faces he still talks with in the post-game scrum, he’s hoping to do it coming off a victory and performance that reminded the Steelers of what he brought to the team.
