The Ravens made a trade for the WR just before deadline, but his role has been limited at best in the weeks since.
The Baltimore Ravens announced on Wednesday that WR Diontae Johnson has been suspended one game for conduct detrimental to the team after refusing to take the field on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Johnson may have seen Cooper DeJean pile drive Derrick Henry and said, “No thanks.”
It’s probably more realistic that Johnson didn’t want to play because he’d prefer the Ravens release him. Johnson was traded to the Ravens just before the deadline, but the wide receiver hasn’t been very involved in Baltimore’s offense since they made the move. He was targeted only one time against the Chargers and two times in the two games prior to that.
Diontae Johnson has played a total of 39 snaps across four games since joining Baltimore in a trade from Carolina on October 29.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 4, 2024
According to Kyle Phoenix of Baltimore Beatdown:
“Against the Eagles, it was noticeable that Johnson was not on the field. Midway through the game, they were down one of their starting receivers as Rashod Bateman was ruled out with a knee injury and replacing him was Nelson Agholor and Tylan Wallace.
After the Ravens’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10, Johnson was visibly upset in the locker room. For 10-15 minutes, quarterback Lamar Jackson spoke with him to lift his spirits. Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh also came over to check on him and speak with him.”
If choosing to preserve your body is at the forefront of your decision-making, the Eagles defense and their physicality would certainly be enough to stay on the sideline.
