The split between veteran wide receiver Diontae Johnson and the Baltimore Ravens was expected after Johnson was suspended for one week for refusing to go into a game and then was mutually agreed upon to remain home for the week leading up to Saturday’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The timing of the split, though, with Johnson expected to hit waivers Monday, might have been calculated by the Ravens.
According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the timing of waiving Johnson was curious, as the Ravens held onto him until Friday, potentially to avoid a chance of the Steelers claiming him and then playing Johnson against Baltimore on Saturday.
“The timing, of course, was interesting for the release, ’cause had they released him a day earlier, maybe his old team, the Steelers could have claimed him and then played him against the Ravens,” Rapoport said, according to video via NFL Network. “They wanted to make sure that did not happen.”
That would have been a very tight turn around for Johnson to go from being claimed to playing one day later, even in a limited role. It’s a new offense in Pittsburgh with two new quarterbacks and a bunch of new faces on that side of the football. It’s not like he’d be walking back into a known situation, so there’s definitely some questions about Rapoport’s comments.
Saturday morning ahead of the Ravens-Steelers matchup, Rapoport hinted that the Steelers could put a claim in for Johnson and reunite with the receiver they traded in March to acquire veteran cornerback Donte Jackson.
That move worked out well for the Steelers as Jackson has set a career-high in interceptions on the season, while Johnson lasted just seven games with the Panthers and then just four games with the Panthers before heading to waivers.
A move to claim Johnson wouldn’t be all that surprising for the Steelers, who need some help at receiver, especially with George Pickens injured and the passing game struggling without that true separator and ball winner.
Claiming Johnson would make sense as the Steelers are very familiar with him, having selected him in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft and lauding his route running. During his five seasons with the Steelers, Johnson hauled in 391 passes for 4,363 yards, and 25 touchdowns and had a 1,161-yard season in 2021, which earned him his only Pro Bowl nod.
But late in his Steelers tenure, Johnson was more of a headache than a solution, and with the Steelers wanting to try and reset the culture and the locker room a bit, they decided to trade him.
Teams have until 4 PM/ET Monday to claim Johnson. He is expected to have a few teams put claims in on, especially as the playoffs approach, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
We’ll see if the Steelers are one of those teams.
