Getty Image / Kevin Sabitus
The Baltimore Ravens have been one of the best-run teams in the NFL for decades now. Former general manager Ozzie Newsome and current general manager Eric DeCosta have had the team competitive basically ever since they moved from Cleveland to Baltimore.
They frequently make shrewd moves, and they made another one on Wednesday. While bringing back Diontae Johnson seemed like a pointless move to many, it has huge upside.
The Ravens are very familiar with Diontae Johnson. The talented wide receiver spent five years with divisional rival Pittsburgh to start his career. After he was traded to Carolina last offseason, things didn’t work out there. He was traded to the Ravens for a late-round draft pick in late October. But, Johnson was eventually suspended for conduct detrimental to the team after refusing to enter the team’s Week 13 game against the Ravens. He was eventually waived by Baltimore just before Christmas and picked up by the Texans.
Johnson pouted after the Texans’ playoff win against the Chargers on Saturday due to lack of targets and snaps. They waived him on Tuesday, signaling an end to his 2024 season.
But, now, the Ravens have picked him up off of waivers, even though Johnson is ineligible for the rest of the playoffs.
Why would they do this? Johnson is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. If he gets signed in free agency and meets the criteria, the Ravens will get a compensatory pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. There’s no downside to doing this, and you have to wonder why other teams didn’t do it.
Make no mistake, the focus of the franchise is on beating the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in the AFC Divisional Round. But, this move could pay dividends in the long run.