Baltimore Ravens trade for Diontae Johnson

The Baltimore Ravens have traded for wide receiver Diontae Johnson

According to multiple reports, the Baltimore Ravens have traded for Carolina Panthers wide receiver Dointae Johnson.

Johnson, 28, joins the Ravens in adding receiver depth and bolsters another playmaker for one of the NFL’s best offenses. Ravens fans may be familiar with him as he was drafted in the third round and played for the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2019. In that time, he faced the Ravens nine times, caught 45 passes for 495 yards and three touchdowns.

Johnson enters with a wealth of experience and playmaking. His career numbers express such with 421 catches for 4,720 yards and 28 touchdowns.

In 2021, Johnson hit career bests with the Steelers, producing 107 catches for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns.

What was the trade compensation for Diontae Johnson?

According to reports, the Ravens sent their 2025 fifth-round pick to the Panthers in exchange for Johnson and their 2025 sixth-round pick. The value, as it stands, is exceptional considering the Panthers are currently slated to pick at the top of the sixth round while the Ravens’ fifth-round pick expects to be among the bottom.

Why did Diontae Johnson make sense to trade for the Ravens?

The Ravens have a sufficient receiving room in Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor. But if either of the top two were injured, they’d be hampered. Bolstering the receiving room was a good move to bring a strong offense another playmaker.

In the first five seasons of his career with the Steelers, Johnson averaged 78 receptions for 872 yards and five touchdowns. He adds another element for offensive coordinator Todd Monken to scheme with as defenses are adding more and more defenders to the box in hopes of slowing down running back Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson on the ground.

How does the Diontae Johnson trade impact the Ravens’ roster?

The move will likely push Agholor further out of the snap count and eliminate the usage of Tylan Wallace on offense. Johnson will likely be cycling in and out of reps with Bateman and/or Flowers, along with the Ravens’ rotation of tight ends like Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar.

The Ravens will likely be placing a player on injured reserve to make room for Johnson on the 53-man roster. It could be speculated they will once more put running back Rasheen Ali on injured reserve once more.

How soon can Diontae Johnson contribute to the Ravens?

Johnson joins the Ravens with four days of possible preparation before their home tilt against the Denver Broncos. That may not be enough time for their Week 9 matchup. However, the Ravens’ following game is on Thursday at home against the Cincinnati Bengals. Getting him up to speed before their rematch against the Bengals will be critical.

How many teams has Diontae Johnson been on before joining the Baltimore Ravens?

This is the third team Johnson has joined. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft. He played with the Steelers for five seasons before signing a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers.

How does the Diontae Johnson trade impact the Baltimore Ravens’ salary cap?

According to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, the Panthers are paying the majority of Johnson’s salary; the Ravens will pay ~$625k for the remainder of the 2024 season. This is a significant boost for the Ravens, who had $4.56 million in cap space prior to the trade, according to OverTheCap.

What is the precedent for a Baltimore Ravens deadline trade?

This is the fourth in-season trade made by the Ravens in the past six season. In 2019, the Ravens traded for cornerback Marcus Peters. In 2020, they traded for defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. Two years later, they traded for linebacker Roquan Smith.

Along with these trades, the Ravens also attempted to trade for cornerback Xavien Howard in 2021 and had a deal in place for Henry in 2023.