Diontae Johnson's 2024 season has been a journey, but unlike the classics, his doesn't seem to be nearing a memorable climax.
Essentially, Johnson's narrative has disintegrated. Since the Panthers traded him to the Ravens in October, Johnson has been all but invisible, playing 39 total snaps in five games. Sunday marked a new low: After losing Rashod Bateman to injury, John Harbaugh's staff chose to play Tylan Wallace over Johnson, resulting in a healthy scratch for Johnson in a 24-19 loss to the Eagles.
The situation is strange. Johnson was acquired near the trade deadline to provide the Ravens with a reinforcement at receiver, but he can't even get on the field right now. Harbaugh didn't help matters much by remaining vague when asked about Johnson on Monday.
"At this time, I'm going to have to wait," Harbaugh said, per The Athletic. "There are some moving parts there that we're going to have to figure out and explore and see where we're at. It's the best I can do in fairness to everybody."
That's certainly not a response from a coach who is confident in a player's value to his team, especially a club contending for a division title in December.
It's not entirely shocking to see Johnson left behind on the sideline. He wasn't exactly the greatest team player while in Pittsburgh, drawing blunt criticism from his former head coach Mike Tomlin for a lack of effort on a crucial play in 2023.
It wasn't much of a surprise to see Johnson leave for Carolina in an offseason trade, where he stepped into a prominent role in a receiving corps that could use veteran talent. For stretches, Johnson was Carolina's best weapon, catching 30 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns in seven games. But with the Panthers out of contention, general manager Dan Morgan wisely traded Johnson to Baltimore in an asset grab (Carolina received a 2025 fifth-rounder as part of a pick swap in the deal).
The compensation hasn't been worth it so far for Baltimore. Johnson has one catch for six yards since becoming a Raven.
Still, Harbaugh's comments are vague enough to prevent us from jumping to conclusions. It certainly doesn't look great right now, though.
