Baltimore Ravens News & Rumors

As the Ravens prepare for their Steelers rematch, Diontae Johnson will not take part in a revenge game. Although Johnson played against the Steelers as a Raven previously, he has made next to no impact with his current team. The shifty wide receiver remains without a role in Baltimore.

The Ravens suspended Johnson for a game for refusing to enter the team’s Week 13 matchup against the Eagles. That suspension took effect in Week 15, and Johnson is eligible to return to the Ravens. He will not do so this week, the team announced. The Ravens are not classifying this as an extension of the wideout’s ban but rather a mutual agreement between the parties to remain separate. The sides are “working through their options,” per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo.

It would seem the Ravens are aiming to avoid cutting Johnson and making him available to another contending team on waivers. The 49ers have gone through with a three-game suspension for De’Vondre Campbell for refusing to enter their Week 15 game. At this stage of his career, Campbell would not make the kind of difference to a contender Johnson would. As such, it appears Baltimore is stashing the former Pittsburgh WR1 right now.

“There are reasons for doing things, front office-type reasons,” John Harbaugh said (via The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec) when asked why the team is not releasing Johnson. “I want to think about Pittsburgh and the guys who are going to be here getting ready to play Pittsburgh. That’s my focus 100%.”

Johnson has gone from the Steelers’ most targeted wideout to a player who showed flashes with the Panthers to a non-factor as a Raven. Baltimore let Odell Beckham Jr. walk this year and did not make significant additions at the position this offseason, bringing back its Zay Flowers–Rashod Bateman–Nelson Agholor trio. Beckham did secure his release from the Dolphins; he is available on waivers today. As of now, the Ravens are not letting Johnson go that easily.

A strong route runner who has consistently created separation (albeit with drop trouble mixed in at points), Johnson would have conceivably brought an interesting chess piece in Todd Monken‘s offense. No such role emerged, as Johnson has catch for six yards in four games with Baltimore. This comes after Johnson caught 30 passes for 357 yards with Carolina this season. Not exactly viewing receiver as a need, the Ravens still acquired Johnson due to the cheap price the Panthers ended up setting. Although the Ravens added Johnson in a pick-swap deal that saw Baltimore and Carolina exchange fifth- and sixth-rounders, this has been a troublesome partnership.

The Ravens may also look to tack games onto Johnson’s suspension, with the 49ers’ Campbell move serving as an eerie parallel given how rare an instance of a player refusing to enter a game is. It is safe to say this season has brought tremendous damage to Johnson’s 2025 free agency stock, as he sought exits from the Panthers and Steelers this year. The former third-round find is limping to the finish line on a Steelers-designed two-year, $36.7MM extension.

The Ravens were among the teams which made a receiver addition ahead of the trade deadline, acquiring Diontae Johnson from the Panthers. The sixth-year veteran was happy to move on from Carolina after less than one campaign with the team, but it remains to be seen how long he will remain in Baltimore.

Johnson had a number of receivers ahead of him on the WR depth chart upon arrival with the Ravens. Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman have operated as starters, while Nelson Agholor and Tylan Wallace have been more involved than Johnson over the past several games. In five games since joining Baltimore, the former Steelers Pro Bowler has only managed one catch on five targets with no uptick in usage in sight.

“At this time, I’m going to have to wait just to clarify it,” head coach John Harbaugh said when asked about Johnson’s future (via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley). “There’s some moving parts there that we’re going to have to figure out and explore and just see where we’re at. I know that’s not the answer you want, but that’s the best I can do in fairness to everybody right now.”

Johnson dressed for the Ravens’ Week 13 loss to the Eagles, but even with Bateman suffering a knee injury he did not log a snap during the game. The 28-year-old represented a low-cost rental since he is a pending free agent and the Panthers retained most of his remaining 2024 salary to pull off the deal. Expectations were therefore low from the beginning, but Johnson’s lack of usage coupled with Harbaugh’s remarks have led to questions about his Baltimore tenure ending even before the regular season concludes.

Bateman’s knee injury is not believed to be serious, and with the Ravens on their bye in Week 14 he may be recovered in time for the team’s next game. Provided he and Flowers remain healthy, Johnson will be set to continue as a complementary option on an offense which also relies on tight end Mark Andrews in the passing game and Derrick Henry on the ground. As Baltimore considers roster moves over the coming days, it will be interesting to see if more clarity emerges in Johnson’s case.