After suspending WR Diontae Johnson and then excusing him from team activities this week, the Baltimore Ravens finalized their unusual saga with the former Pittsburgh Steelers WR by waiving him, according to the Ravens’ account on X. Along with waiving Johnson, they have activated WR Anthony Miller and CB Desmond King from the practice squad. Both players spent time with the Steelers and will now be helping the Ravens on Saturday against Pittsburgh.
Johnson was dealt to the Ravens ahead of the trade deadline for a pick swap. The Carolina Panthers got a 2025 fifth-round pick while the Ravens received a 2025 sixth-round pick to acquire Johnson. This was the second time Johnson was traded in 2024, with the Steelers initially trading him in March to the Panthers in exchange for CB Donte Jackson in addition to a late-round pick swap in the 2024 NFL Draft.
For the Ravens, Johnson had five targets in three games with one reception for six yards.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Johnson will now be subject to waivers, which will process on Monday at 4 PM/ET.
“There is, in the opinion of some, a reasonable chance that Johnson will be claimed Monday,” Schefter wrote.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Johnson-Ravens saga ending the way it did was inevitable given how quickly the relationship deteriorated.
“Only logical conclusion was to release Johnson, who was amenable to the move. Relationship had hit point of no return,” Fowler wrote.
Fowler also wrote about the Diontae Johnson trade being a “colossal misstep” for the Ravens in a recent ESPN article.
While the Steelers are short on receivers at the moment, all the reporting after the Steelers traded him indicated that their relationship with Johnson had also deteriorated. I wouldn’t expect the Steelers to be among the teams putting a claim in. The offense is unrecognizable to what he knew in Pittsburgh, so it’s not like he would be easy to integrate into it.
As for the practice squad elevations, King was with the Steelers briefly last season but only lasted about a month before getting released. He had a 22-yard punt return for the Ravens last week in his lone game for them this season.
Miller was on and off the Steelers’ roster from 2021-23. He only appeared in one game and had one reception for two yards. He was a second-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 2018, so he has a decent amount of NFL experience. He could end up playing a decent-sized role for the Ravens on Saturday if Rashod Bateman is unable to play due to his foot injury. Nelson Agholor was ruled out earlier today, leaving them potentially shorthanded at the WR position.
