7 winners and 4 losers from Ravens trade for Diontae Johnson

The Winners and Losers from the team’s first and hopefully not final move before next week’s deadline.

The Baltimore Ravens both bolstered and upgraded their wide receiver depth chart by bringing the Pro Bowl wideout and former Pittsburgh Steelers standout Diontae Johnson back to the AFC North via trade.

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Winners

Lamar Jackson: The reigning MVP (and frontrunner for this year’s trophy) was already playing with the most talented pass-catching group of his career, and now he’s adding another 1,000-yard receiver to the mix. Jackson is on pace to throw for over 4,000 yards for the first time in his career and Johnson’s speed and separation ability will only help him reach that milestone faster.

Zay Flowers: Even though Johnson comes with a proven pedigree, there is still no questioning the status of the second-year pro as the Ravens’ clear No. 1 wide receiver. Flowers leads the team with 527 receiving yards and has 20 more targets and total touches than any other wideout on the roster. Johnson won’t take any snaps from Flowers; instead, the addition can only help Flowers by giving opposing defenses another threat to account for. When they’re on the field at the same time, Flowers could get more favorable matchups and see less double coverage.

Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely: As a vertical threat and elite separator, Johnson will command respect from opposing defenses and create open space for others. That will allow the Ravens’ elite tight end tandem to feast even more over the middle and up the seams.

Derrick Henry: Just as Johnson’s presence will spread opposing defenses thinner in coverage for Flowers and the tight ends, it may also lead to more open space for Henry in the run game. With more use of 11 personnel, defenses will play lighter boxes and lighter personnel, giving Henry the chance to expand his league-lead in yards on the ground.

Todd Monken: The Ravens’ second-year offensive coordinator has another weapon who can separate on his own or pick up chunks of yardage when schemed into open space. During his time in Pittsburgh, Johnson was a big-play threat from multiple alignments on a full route tree, making plays in the quick-screen game and deep routes downfield. Monken will ensure he gets the chance to terrorize his former team in their two meetings later this season.

Eric DeCosta: While some fans and pundits may insist that the Ravens’ pass defense should’ve been addressed before adding another pass-catcher on offense, DeCosta got excellent value in this trade. The sixth-year general manager should be commended for his deal to move back a few dozen picks in the 2025 NFL Draft in exchange for a proven upgrade to his receiver room. Even better, the Panthers are taking on almost all of Johnson’s remaining salary, with the Ravens owing him less than $1 million for the remainder of the season. Johnson could even net Baltimore a future compensatory pick if he earns a decent contract in 2025 free agency, making this a low-risk, high-reward move by DeCosta.

Losers

Nelson Agholor: Flowers and Rashod Bateman have cemented their roles in the offense, so Agholor will likely see the largest reduction in snaps after Johnson’s arrival. Agholor will drop into the WR4 spot on the depth chart once Johnson gets up to speed with Jackson and his new offense, giving the Ravens some reliable rotational depth in case of injury.

Tylan Wallace: Wallace averaged just 9.3 snaps through the first eight games with just two total targets on the year. Johnson’s arrival will shrink his role on offense even more and could even eat into Wallace’s returning duties. As a rookie in 2019, Johnson returned 20 punts for 248 yards including a long of 85 that resulted in a touchdown, led the league with 12.4 yards per punt return and was voted second team All Pro return specialist behind Harty that year. Wallace has struggled with decision-making on punt returns this year, with just two returns for 21 yards and a number of fair catches called inside the 10-yard line.

Devontez Walker: The fourth-round rookie was a healthy scratch for the first six games of the season and played exclusively on special teams the past two weeks. Unless he can prove to be a better special teamer than Wallace, he will likely go back to being a regular on the inactive list barring injury to a player higher on the depth chart.

Opposing defenses: The Ravens already had two of the best separators in the NFL this year in Flowers and Bateman, and Johnson ranks among the top of the league as well. In Baltimore, he gets to play with the best quarterback of his career alongside two young speedsters who are also capable of putting cornerbacks in a blender on any given play. This trio could prove to be one of the league’s elite receiving groups by the end of the season with all the headaches they’ll be giving opposing secondaries.