‘Ravens’ don’t expect Diontae Johnson to star

The crows were happy when they landed Diontae Johnson at the trade deadline, but the veteran wide receiver is not expected to play a major role in Baltimore’s offense this season.

The acquisition of Johnson was more about value, versatility and depth. The Ravens only had to give up Johnson’s fifth-round pick and the Panthers’ sixth-round pick, with Carolina eating up most of the remaining salary. Based on current draft projections, Baltimore essentially moved back about 20 spots in the 2025 draft to add Johnson to their roster, which is pennies for a receiver with a career average of 54.3 yards per game.

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the Ravens believed Johnson was “too good to pass up” for such a low price, although they did not make a deal expecting Johnson to immediately step into a starting role. Instead, he provides veteran depth as injury insurance. Zai Flowers or Rashod Bateman giving the Ravens “the chance to run more three-receiver sets than they typically do if they choose to go that route.”

Flowers and Bateman are firmly entrenched in Baltimore’s starting lineup this year with a healthy dose of heavy personnel that looks to be on offense with the quarterback. Patrick Ricard and narrow ends Mark Andrews, Isaiah ProbablyAnd Charlie Kolar. Johnson’s main route to more playing time is the obvious pass rush, which requires three receivers, although the Ravens rely on their league-leading rushing attack with Lamar Jackson And Derrick Henry to protect them from such situations.

Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken hinted at the difficulty of getting Johnson involved in the offense.

“It’s not easy for him,” Monken said. “We’ll continue to try to find ways to get him on the field, but we haven’t really lost anyone, we’re doing a good job with the guys we have.”

Monken has a point: Baltimore leads the NFL with 4,731 yards and 7.0 yards per game this season, with a significant gap between them and the second-ranked teams. Johnson still has the talent to contribute, but the Ravens won’t give up on what has worked this season.