When the Baltimore Ravens traded for former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson, fans were thrilled to have added another weapon to this offense. On an offense that featured the league MVP in quarterback Lamar Jackson and one of the most lethal running backs of his generation, Derrick Henry, they were already crushing opponents.
But now? You add in Johnson to a core with an up-and-coming Zay Flowers and a resurgent Mark Andrews, and this offense was poised to reach new heights.
The only problem was, Johnson played just 17 snaps in his first game with the Ravens when they took on the Denver Broncos. He was a non-factor.
So, in his second game on Thursday Night Football, he'd be more involved, right?
Not so much. Johnson had just two targets, ending the night with one catch for six yards. Of course, this type of night prompted plenty of opinions and hot takes on social media and within the standard media.
Why would the Ravens not utilize their new weapon, when other teams have already involved their new wideouts like DeAndre Hopkins with the Chiefs, most recently? What gives?
Everyone has an opinion, and Johnson knows it. He took to his own social media with an intriguing post following the game. It appeared he had woken up and seen all the chatter on Friday morning, and he offered a cryptic, yet seemingly logical, response.
It’s always two sides to a story 🤷🏾♂️
— Diontae Johnson (@Juiceup__3) November 8, 2024
The Ravens are being skillful with Diontae Johnson, and that's all there is to it
Here's the thing. First of all, Johnson wasn't necessarily complaining with this tweet. Take it how you want, but the way I see it is that he's a team guy and he understands the current process. Baltimore isn't going to try and force him into the offense right away when they've got a good thing going.
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This is an offense that's already one of the best in the league. Why would they completely alter it just to try and involve a new piece? No, that's not how this works. The Chiefs offense is a different story. They had been hurting at the position. They were desperate for a playmaker, which is why involving Hopkins was a priority, right away.
The Ravens don't need to involve Johnson with a heavy workload, right off the bat. Instead, he's going to be an "icing on the cake" type of addition. He'll be brought on consistently and slowly, so that by the time the end of the season and postseason roll around, he's just one more solid weapon for Jackson and the offense.
Johnson's post wasn't to complain, and quite frankly, it wasn't negative. If anything, he was drawing attention away from all of the overreactions to his being under-utilized.
Heck, even Zay Flowers only ended the night with four receptions for 34 yards when the Ravens scored 35 points. No one is complaining or questioning his usage, so let's pipe down with the hot takes on Johnson.
Cool?