The Baltimore Ravens have quite a dilemma on their hands with star wide receiver Diontae Johnson. Baltimore seemingly shored up their pass catching corps when they dealt for Johnson from the Carolina Panthers ahead of the trade deadline, but he initially played sparingly, before not logging a single snap in the team's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Then on Wednesday, Baltimore shocked the league by suspending Johnson for one game after he refused to check into their contest against Philadelphia. As a result, Johnson's future with the Ravens and murky, and while there are rumors suggesting they could opt to cut him, the team's upcoming Week 16 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have familiarity with Johnson and could use help at wide receiver, could prevent them from making such a move.
As noted by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, “Something to keep in mind if Baltimore cuts Johnson: It plays Pittsburgh — Johnson's old team — in Week 16. Whether the Steelers would want him back is unclear, but the way some people around the league see it: The threat of him sharing Ravens offensive intel with Pittsburgh could make Baltimore hold on to him.”
Ravens need to find a solution to Diontae Johnson drama
In a perfect world, Johnson would have quickly assimilated himself with his new team, but things have not worked out as intended. While the two sides could try to smooth things out, the fact that he got suspended by the Ravens themselves isn't a good sign. Releasing him would make sense, but if they do that, he could just reunite with the Steelers and give them some inside information on Baltimore's operation.
Regardless of what ends up happening, the Ravens need to figure out some sort of solution with Johnson, because they have a very big off-field distraction hovering over the team right now. With the team currently on a bye, they have some time to sort things out, but for now, Johnson won't play in Week 15 against the New York Giants, and it remains to be seen whether he will even be with the team by the time he can return in Week 16.
