ExtremeRavens Posted November 13 Posted November 13 Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin wasn’t too concerned with scouting Diontae Johnson, but this could be the week he breaks out in Baltimore. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday that the newly acquired wide receiver’s workload will “ramp up” as he gets acclimated to one of the league’s top offenses after spending nearly half the season with one of the worst. It’s been a slow build up for Johnson, who spent five years in Pittsburgh before being traded to the Carolina Panthers in the offseason and then sent to Baltimore late last month. It remains to be seen when (or if) the Ravens lean into utilizing another pass catcher. Johnson caught 30 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns for the now-three-win Panthers before joining one of the best offenses in recent league history. The Ravens are the only team to surpass 4,000 total yards this season (4,402), and their efficiency through 10 games ranks alongside legendary units such as the 2007 New England Patriots and 2018 Kansas City Chiefs. In other words, there wasn’t much to fix. But that could change Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. “I can’t go in there just expecting a lot [or putting] a lot of pressure on myself,” Johnson said. “However the game goes, I’m all for it.” In two games with Baltimore, Johnson has played just 22 offensive snaps and one on special teams. He had only two practices and a short window to learn offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s playbook before suiting up for his first game against the Denver Broncos. On a short week before playing the Cincinnati Bengals on “Thursday Night Football,” the Ravens had only one full practice. “That was really where he got a chance to move around,” Harbaugh said. Johnson was a relative nonfactor in the Bengals win. He caught one pass for 6 yards in the second quarter but couldn’t get to the sideline to stop the clock with 13 seconds left. He later slipped on an improvised route and missed a pass from Lamar Jackson. Inside the home locker room about an hour after the game ended, there sat Johnson. He was one of the only players still wearing part of his uniform and sitting in his locker. A few teammates took a moment to speak to the new guy still getting acclimated in Baltimore. That’s why Tomlin didn’t mince his words about the idea of preparing to face his former receiver. “To be honest with you,” he said Tuesday, “I hadn’t thought a lot about it. He’s not on a lot of their video, and so, at this stage of the week, I don’t know that I’ve weighed what he might mean to the matchup. They’ve got more significant pieces with larger roles that are occupying my attention at this part of the week.” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, left, talks with wide receiver Diontae Johnson during training camp 2023. Tomlin said he’s not paying much attention to Johnson now that he’s with the Ravens. (Gene J. Puskar/AP) This week is Johnson’s first normal, full week of practice. He said he’s been working in slowly, but Harbaugh’s proclamation that Johnson would be ramping up would make sense, both with Baltimore playing his former team Sunday and considering the extra time to get on the same page as Jackson. “It’s just really the terminology [you] have to pay attention to, know what you’re doing when you get in there, just to show them that you retain everything, and you’re putting the right stuff on film,” Johnson said of his acclimation. “I’m just taking it one day at a time, so it’s really just learning the formations and stuff like that. Then obviously, my job is to just go out there and be me, and that’s what I’m trying to do.” Jackson was asked twice about getting acquainted with his new receiver. In a week’s time, his tone seemed to have noticeably shifted. Last week, he sounded the slightest bit apprehensive to offer much. Jackson said he was unsure what it would be like for Johnson to find his place in a new offense. Or how fast it might click. But, “because they’re in the NFL” and Jackson has “a feel for the game,” he forecasted it would come naturally. On Wednesday, asked how Johnson has acclimated since then, Jackson sounded more confident in his assessment. “I feel like it’s been good, actually. We were throwing passes out here today, 7-on-7, [whole] team. He was looking pretty good, pretty solid.” Because Baltimore brought him in at next to no cost and the Ravens already have such a strong passing attack — the best of Jackson’s career — there’s no reason to rush Johnson onto the field. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Jackson said. “That’s probably how coach and those guys are feeling. But we definitely want to get him involved because he’s a great talent and a great addition to our offense.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article Quote
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