The Baltimore Ravens claimed their former wide receiver Diontae Johnson on waivers from the Houston Texans, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Wednesday.
This a procedural move and Johnson won't officially be awarded to the Ravens until after the Super Bowl, but he qualifies as an unrestricted free agent.
Johnson was waived by the Texans on Tuesday. He was visibly upset in the locker room after the Texans' wind-card playoff victory against the Chargers, fully dressed sitting at his locker staring in frustration because of a lack of playing time and targets.
"Unfortunately, with Diontae it didn't work out," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Tuesday. "We're on to the Chiefs."
Johnson had three catches for 24 yards in two games with Houston after the Texans claimed Johnson off waivers from the Ravens on Dec. 23. Baltimore had moved on from the receiver after he refused to enter a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 1.
Before the Ravens waived Johnson, they suspended him one game for his refusal to play against the Eagles. Baltimore had acquired him in a trade with the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 29, but he played only 39 snaps for the team, catching one pass for 6 yards.
The Panthers acquired Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers before the season. He had 30 catches for 257 yards and three touchdowns for Carolina when he was dealt to the Ravens.
The Steelers drafted Johnson in the third round of the 2019 draft and he had 391 catches for 4,363 yards and 25 touchdowns in Pittsburgh. He earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2021 with his lone 1,000-yard season and a career-high eight touchdown receptions in quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's final year.
