Opinion: Ravens traded for Diontae Johnson; now what?

Analyzing the move and what more could be done before the midseason deadline to address other pressing needs.

The Baltimore Ravens made a somewhat unexpected but completely understandable acquisition on Tuesday by trading for Pro Bowl wide receiver Diontae Johnson from the Carolina Panthers. The sixth-year veteran joins an already loaded arsenal of weapons at quarterback Lamar Jackson’s disposal in the second-highest scoring offense in the league.

Coming off a stunning upset loss to a previously one-win Cleveland Browns team in which their defense couldn’t generate any consistent pressure without blitzing and still got carved up through the air by Jameis Winston who made his first start in over two years, some fans and pundits believe an expected a move on the other side of the ball was a more pressing need.

However, given what Johnson brings to the table and the minimal cost of getting him, the value of the trade was too great to pass up. There is also still time, and the Ravens have enough cap space to make another move to address the secondary or front seven.

General manager Eric DeCosta was able to add a dangerous play-making receiver for what essentially equates to a bag of peanuts. All it took was a swap of late Day 3 picks in next year’s NFL Draft and got the Panthers to agree to pay the bulk of his remaining salary, leaving the Ravens to only have to pick up the tab for the remaining $625,000 which is $170,000 less than the rookie minimum salary for the 2024 season.

In Johnson, the Ravens are getting another dynamic and technically refined receiver who is among the best in the league at getting open by gaining separation through excellent route running. He’ll be paired with two young technicians in Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman who are also among the NFL’s best separators, giving Jackson a trio of wideouts to target who thrive running outside the numbers while their elite tight end tandem of Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely work underneath and stretch the seam of the defense.

Johnson also brings an explosive vertical element to the table having never averaged less than 10.3 yards per catch in his career despite playing with several subpar and conservative quarterbacks to date prior to getting traded to the Ravens. In addition to being an excellent route runner, the 28-year-old possesses strong hands, elusiveness in the open field and an ability to make contest and tight window catches while staying in bounds.

Another potential added bonus to trading for Johnson who is slated to be an unrestricted free agent after this season is that if he is not re-signed by the Ravens, the compensatory draft pick they’d net for losing him in free agency would likely be of greater value than what they ultimately gave up which was just moving back less than 20 spots on Day 3.

As far as what moves there are left to make, the Ravens have plenty of capital in next year’s draft with 11 picks to execute another trade to address one or more needs on their reeling defense that has struggled with consistency and playmaking through the first eight games. However, given that they only currently have just over $3.7 million in available cap space according to Over The Cap. A notable addition at either defensive tackle, edge defender or safety where they could use upgrades or at least reinforcements would have to come at a similar discount to how they landed Johnson.

On the defensive line, there are a pair of seasoned veterans with manageable salaries they could target to provide much-needed depth including Linval Joseph of the Dallas Cowboys or a reunion with Calais Campbell of the Miami Dolphins. Both could probably be had for another Day 3 pick swap or a conditional late-round pick as both of their teams are long shots to make the playoffs and could be looking to recoup some assets.

At safety, they could go back to the Dolphins talent pool and acquire veteran Marcus Maye who only has a base salary of $1.2 million this year. A younger option with the potential to be a long-term solution and try to acquire 25-year-old Tre’von Moehrig from the Las Vegas Raiders who possesses impressive range and ball skills and whose two interceptions in eight games would rank second on the Ravens behind only Marlon Humphrey.

Out on the edge, there are some young inexpensive and intriguing options the Ravens can target to add to their rotation. Azeez Ojulari of the New York Giants is balling out on the final year of his rookie contract with six sacks in eight games. There’s also former No. 2 overall pick Chase Young of the New Orleans Saints who helped the San Francisco 49ers reach the Super Bowl last year as a key piece in their rotation after being acquired via trade near the midseason deadline.

Going back to the Panthers well and trying to bring back three-time Pro Bowl veteran Jadeveon Clowney might be too rich given the remainder of his 2024 salary and what he is owed in 2025. However, his contract has an out after this season and if Carolina is willing to eat a majority of the salary again in exchange for a conditional mid-to-late round pick, they could make it work. Clowney only has one sack in six games this season but tied his career-high with 9.5 with the Ravens last year as one of their most consistent edge defenders at generating pressure.