ExtremeRavens Posted December 16, 2024 Posted December 16, 2024 Ravens wide receiver Diontae Johnson isn’t returning to the field — at least not yet. A statement released by the team Monday shared that both the Ravens and Johnson “mutually agreed” to allow the wide receiver to miss team activities this week. He won’t play in Saturday’s pivotal AFC North showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who hold a one-game lead over the Ravens. Johnson also missed Sunday’s win over the Giants, as he was serving a one-game suspension for refusing to enter the Ravens’ game against the Eagles on Dec. 1. Coach John Harbaugh’s played his comments close to the vest, as he has since this saga began. “All I’m really thinking about right now is Pittsburgh and getting our team ready for Pittsburgh,” Harbaugh said. “So he won’t be here this week and next week will take care of itself.” Asked why the Ravens opted to keep him out of team activities this week rather than release him entirely, Harbaugh said, “I’m really interested in the Pittsburgh Steelers, to be honest with you. I know you guys want to hear the story. There are a lot of moving parts. There are reasons for doing things and our front office had reasons. Do I want to sit here and get into all the different calculations that [general manager] Eric [DeCosta] makes? I really don’t. I want to think about Pittsburgh and the guys who are going to be here playing against Pittsburgh. That’s my focus, 100%.” If Johnson were to sign elsewhere in free agency after the season, the Ravens would receive a potential compensatory pick for the 2026 draft. Releasing Johnson would yield no return. Johnson, 28, began his contract year with Carolina before being traded to Baltimore in late October. He struggled to gain footing in the offense, as other wide receivers outperformed him. Johnson, who caught 30 passes for the Panthers and was featured regularly in their offense, has just one catch for Baltimore. READER POLL: Who will win Saturday’s AFC North showdown between Ravens and Steelers? There was some credence given to Baltimore’s first matchup in Pittsburgh, Johnson’s former team, being a chance to see an uptick in reps. He was targeted twice but finished without a catch. Then when Rashod Bateman was sidelined with knee soreness against the Philadelphia Eagles, that could have opened the door for Johnson. It did not and he was ultimately suspended by the team for one game for refusing to take the field. Johnson’s fellow receivers said the suspension would not be a distraction entering a pivotal stretch in the Ravens’ schedule, now through one of three games in 11 days. “He’s still one of my guys. He’s one of our guys,” Flowers said last week, adding, “Yeah, he’d be welcomed back.” “We all understand both sides,” Bateman said, last week. “There are consequences that come with this game. I know he’ll be back soon, and that’s all we worry about.” And Lamar Jackson vouched for Johnson after the Eagles loss, saying, “We want him out there. He’s a great receiver. We didn’t get him from the Panthers for nothing.” Sunday in a blowout win over New York, five receivers caught passes from Lamar Jackson. Rookie Devontez Walker even hauled in his first career catch, a 21-yard touchdown. Jackson has been quicker to look to Zay Flowers, Bateman, Nelson Agholor and Tylan Wallace in recent weeks. With Johnson’s role on Baltimore’s offense seemingly nonexistent, the veteran receiver who began his career in Pittsburgh won’t see action on game day for the third consecutive week. His future in Baltimore appears murky, at best. Bennett Conlin contributed to this article. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.