John Harbaugh is feeling good about Diontae Johnson being more involved when the Baltimore Ravens face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11. The trip to Heinz Field will be something of a reunion for Johnson, who spent five seasons in Pittsburgh, but the Ravens’ newest wide receiver has made just one catch in two games since returning to the AFC North via the Carolina Panthers.
Engineering a trade for Johnson was supposed to add another weapon to quarterback Lamar Jackson’s already loaded supporting cast. A wideout capable of gaining separation on the outside.
That’s what Johnson did for the Steelers, at least in moments, after being selected 66th overall in the 2019 NFL draft. The Ravens are still waiting to see those skills, but Harbaugh is optimistic the time is ripe for Johnson to get more involved.
Harbaugh noted how Johnson’s “been here now for somewhat of a number of practices. I would expect that to ramp up, yes,” per Ravens.com Editorial Director Ryan Mink.
Having Johnson help his team snap a three-game losing streak against the rival Steelers would be particularly sweet for Harbaugh and the Ravens.
Diontae Johnson Needs More Targets With Ravens
As Mink pointed out, targets have so far been in short supply for Johnson since he donned a Ravens uniform. He “wasn’t targeted against Denver and was thrown to twice versus the Bengals. He caught one for a 6-yard gain but couldn’t get out of bounds at the end of the first half and stumbled to the turf on the second target.”
Consistency has eluded Johnson during his time in the pros, but the 28-year-old does have a natural talent for stretching the field. It’s a talent the Ravens should make greater use of, starting this week on Johnson’s old stomping ground.
He’s averaged a healthy 11.2 yards per catch throughout his career, so Johnson can be a factor in what is already an expansive Baltimore offense. The Jackson-led passing attack is doing more than merely moving the chains after generating a league-high 35 completions of 20-plus yards, including eight tallying 40 or more.
Getting Johnson involved should make the Ravens even more potent through the air, although the Steelers don’t sound worried about the prospect.
Steelers Not Concerned About Former Pass-Catcher
Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin isn’t giving his former pass-catcher a lot of thought. Tomlin was frank when he admitted to reporters, including ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, “To be honest with you, I hadn’t thought a lot about it. He’s not on a lot of their video, and so at this stage of the week, I don’t know that I’ve weighed what he might mean to the matchup. They got more significant pieces with larger roles that are occupying my attention at this part of the week.”
This isn’t necessarily Tomlin needling an ex-Steelers player. He’s right to note Johnson is yet to truly show up in the Ravens offense. The Steelers are wise to focus more on All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews, receiver Zay Flowers and two-time NFL rushing champion Derrick Henry.
Johnson is also a player the Steelers were content to trade to the Panthers for veteran cornerback Donte Jackson and a sixth-round draft choice. Making Tomlin and Co. regret that decision will demand Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken draws up some plays to get Johnson the ball early in vertical areas.
