Diontae Johnson makes shock return to Baltimore Ravens after Texans exit, NFL fans react – “Running backwards”

The Baltimore Ravens brought back former wide receiver Diontae Johnson from Texans and might use him to get an extra pick in 2026 draft.

Diontae Johnson makes shock return to Baltimore Ravens after Texans exit, NFL fans react – “Running backwards”

Diontae Johnson (Image via IMAGO)

Diontae Johnson finds a new home; the old one he vacated just a couple of months ago. The wide receiver fell out with the Houston Texans, leading to his expulsion from the team.

The 26-year-old played in the Texans AFC wildcard win over the Los Angeles Chargers. However, a meager 16 yards in the entire fixture led to another one of his outbursts. Those were his final moments in a Texans jersey as soon after the incident they waived him.

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Johnson wasn’t unemployed for too long. His former team the Baltimore Ravens claimed him off waivers, and now, he will rejoin a team comprised of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry.

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NFL fans concluded Diontae Johnson has lost his way after signing with the same team that he left this season

Johnson began his career in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and after five seasons, they opted against extending his stay with the team. Following a half-decent 2023 season (51 receptions for 717 yards and 5 touchdowns), the Steelers traded Johnson to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson and the 178th overall pick in the 2024 draft (they drafted Iowa defensive tackle Logan Lee).

Diontae Johnson makes a shock return to Baltimore Ravens after Texans Exit, NFL Twitter says WR is Running backwards
Diontae Johnson (Image via IMAGO)

His season with the Panthers started slowly—catching 5 passes for 44 yards in the first two games. The numbers picked up with 24 catches in the next four, 300+ receiving yards, and three touchdowns. However, Johnson was unhappy with just one catch in a 7-40 defeat against the Washington Commanders and subsequently traded to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2025 fifth-round pick.

The Ravens suspended Johnson after he refused to enter the week 13 game against the Philadelphia Eagles and as a consequence, they waived him from the team. The Texans added the Toledo graduate to the team as a stand-in for injured Tank Dell for the playoffs. Things didn’t work out, and even after beating the Chargers, the Texans waived Johnson and he ended up back with the Ravens for the second time in under three months.

Can he play for the Ravens in the playoffs?

It’s easy to connect the dots as to the reason behind bringing Johnson back. Second-year wide receiver Zay Flowers is out with an injury, and Johnson seemed the ideal and cheap replacement. ESPN’s Adam Schefter, on the other hand, revealed Johnson is ineligible to play for the Ravens, but they brought the Pro Bowler in for the compensatory pick formula, potentially helping it obtain an additional draft pick in 2026.

Diontae Johnson has played a total of 89 games in the NFL, catching 424 passes for 4738 yards and scoring 28 touchdowns. His best year was 2021 when he racked up 107 receptions for 1161 yards and 8 touchdowns.