The Baltimore Ravens just can’t seem to rid themselves of Diontae Johnson. They recently released the wide receiver, but they’ll be seeing him again as soon as Christmas Day, after Johnson was claimed by the Ravens next opponents, the Houston Texans.
Both teams will meet at NRG Stadium on Wednesday, December 25, and Johnson will remain a talking point. The Texans were confirmed as his next stop by ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.
There may not be enough time for Johnson to take to the field for his new employers. Although anything is possible since the Texans claimed the 28-year-old after losing a key playmaker to a serious injury in Week 16.
Diontae Johnson Can’t Waste Texans Chance
Signing with the Texans provides Johnson with a chance he likely thought he wouldn’t get this season after his short and ill-fated spell in Baltimore. The Texans moved quickly because Tank Dell dislocated his knee and tore his ACL catching a touchdown pass against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, December 21, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Dell faces a “lengthy recovery,” meaning his “availability to begin the 2025 season is in doubt,” according to Rapoport.
Being without Dell for a prolonged period should make plenty of reps available for Johnson. A lack of playing time with the Ravens left him frustrated, but the former Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers pass-catcher could thrive in Houston.
Playing with a quarterback as gifted as C.J. Stroud and alongside a receiver as physical as Nico Collins will create the kind of opportunities Johnson craves. Provided he shows more patience than he did while a member of the Ravens.
Ravens Have Already Moved On From Botched Trade
Giving up a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft for one catch and four yards makes the deal to acquire Johnson from the Panthers one of the worst in Ravens history. Fortunately, the botched trade hasn’t harmed the most explosive offense in football.
Instead, the Ravens remain prolific through the air. Like when Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes to beat Johnson’s first team the Steelers in Week 16.
Granted, two of those throws landed in the hands of tight ends Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews, but it’s not as if the Ravens are lacking at wide receiver. Not when second-year pro Zay Flowers went over 1,000 yards after snagging eight catches for 100 yards against Pittsburgh.
Flowers isn’t the only wideout flourishing in Jackson’s passing game. So is Rashod Bateman, whose ability to stretch the field and find the end zone has made him the go-to receiver for the Ravens’ QB1.
Bateman, Flowers, Andrews and Likely give Jackson more than enough weapons for attacking defenses through the air. His own rushing skills, allied with the presence of two-time league rushing champion Derrick Henry, who is raising the bar every week, makes this offense a nightmare to stop.
There was room for Johnson to be a factor, but he didn’t seize the opportunity. Instead, he refused to take the field against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13 and earned a one-game suspension that ultimately ended his forgettable Ravens career.
Now Johnson gets a chance he simply can’t waste, but the Ravens shouldn’t be concerned either way.
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