The Baltimore Ravens suspended wide receiver Diontae Johnson one game on Wednesday for conduct detrimental to the team due to the veteran "refusing to enter our game against the Philadelphia Eagles" on Sunday.
Johnson is now set to miss Baltimore's Week 15 game against the New York Giants following the upcoming bye week.
Wednesday's suspension provides an explanation for Johnson's peculiar absence from Baltimore's loss in Philadelphia in which he registered zero snaps.
"We have made the difficult decision to suspend Diontae Johnson for our upcoming game against the New York Giants for conduct detrimental to the team," Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement on Wednesday. "We will have no further comments on this matter going forward."
It doesn't get more matter of fact than that. Johnson's lack of involvement in Sunday's game raised plenty of eyebrows, especially after the Ravens replaced the injured Rashod Bateman with Tylan Wallace.
Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh remained vague on the matter when asked about it Monday, delivering an answer that left plenty to interpretation, including the possibility of Johnson's release. Two days later, we learned the Ravens were instead sending Johnson home, deciding to punish the receiver more than a week before they return to the field.
Baltimore acquired Johnson via trade with the Carolina Panthers during the 2024 season, sending a conditional Day 3 pick to Carolina as part of a pick swap in exchange for the receiver, who came to the Charm City equipped with AFC North experience from his five seasons spent with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The move seemed like a no-brainer. Baltimore picked up a veteran who had demonstrated he was certainly capable of making a difference during his abbreviated tenure with the Panthers, catching 30 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns before leaving for the Ravens.
On paper, Johnson would provide Lamar Jackson with another seasoned pass catcher for a Ravens team with Super Bowl aspirations. Instead of paying off, the trade has done the opposite. Johnson has registered one catch for 6 yards in five games with the Ravens and has attracted more attention for his lack of production than anything else.
He'll spend the next 11 days out of the spotlight in Baltimore, where the Ravens are clearly not accepting any nonsense on their road to the playoffs, which they hope ends with a Super Bowl triumph. Whether Johnson will be involved in such a pursuit remains to be seen.
