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Jamison Hensley, ESPN writer
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens have suspended wide receiver Diontae Johnson for one game for conduct detrimental to the team, the team announced Wednesday.
“Diontae’s suspension is due to his refusal to enter our game against the Philadelphia Eagles,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement.
DeCosta called the disciplinary action a “difficult decision.”
Johnson will miss the Ravens’ Dec. 15 game against the New York Giants. Baltimore is currently on break.
The Ravens had been vague about Johnson’s standing with the team after he suited up, but he did not participate in Sunday’s 24-19 loss to the Eagles. It was even more curious that Johnson never entered the game because starting wide receiver Rashod Bateman was sidelined in the second half with a knee injury. Johnson could be seen standing next to a heater on the sideline for most of the game.
Johnson, 28, has played just 39 snaps for Baltimore since being acquired from the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 29. He has a total of one reception for six yards for the Ravens after being the Panthers’ leading receiver through seven games with them this season.
This decline in production could significantly impact him heading into free agency this offseason.
On Monday, Ravens coach John Harbaugh was noncommittal about whether Johnson would remain with the team.
In late October, the Panthers parted ways with Johnson for very little in return after he led Carolina in receptions (30), receiving yards (357) and touchdown catches (3). The Ravens sent a fifth-round pick to Carolina for Johnson and a sixth-round pick. It was considered a low-risk move for Baltimore because the Panthers picked up most of Johnson’s remaining salary, leaving Baltimore on the hook for around $625,000.
If the Ravens cut Johnson, they wouldn’t get a potential compensatory pick in the 2026 draft if he signs elsewhere in free agency.
Baltimore’s top three wide receivers are Zay Flowers, Bateman and Nelson Agholor. The Ravens rank third in the NFL in passing, averaging 243.3 yards.
After Sunday’s game, quarterback Lamar Jackson said he talked to Johnson about staying locked in after not playing.
“We want him out there,” Jackson said. “He’s a great receiver. We didn’t get him from the Panthers for nothing.”
Johnson, a 2019 third-round pick by the Steelers, has totaled 422 receptions for 4,726 yards and 28 touchdowns for Pittsburgh, Carolina and Baltimore.
