The Pittsburgh Steelers enter a Week 10 contest against the Washington Commanders with a half-game lead in the AFC North. The Baltimore Ravens looked as if they might be upset by the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football, but a thrilling comeback led to John Harbaugh’s group improving to 7-3. The stage is almost set for a crucial divisional matchup in Week 11, but Mike Tomlin‘s team isn’t going to get ahead of itself just yet. One thing that stood out on Thursday evening was the staggering lack of production from former Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson.

General Manager Omar Khan wanted to address the cornerback position in the 2024 offseason, which led to the organization sending Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. Part of the deal was Donte Jackson coming to the Steel City, and it’s safe to say that the move has paid off for Pittsburgh up to this point. Johnson, however, hasn’t had the most successful year overall.

Johnson was a half-season rental for Carolina and shipped off to Baltimore ahead of the trade deadline. This was expected to be a phenomenal move for a Ravens team looking for another weapon in the passing game. There is still plenty of time, but up to this point, the wide receiver hasn’t done much of anything for his new team. In fact, he was downright brutal against the Bengals.

Johnson was only able to haul in one catch for six yards after being targeted just twice. Both of his targets were extremely unproductive for the Ravens. The first came towards the end of the first half. Baltimore had no timeouts and looked to draw up a creative play to get the shift receiver open. He came across the middle with time running out and made a catch, but was stopped short of the sideline by Mike Hilton. This kept the Ravens from a field goal attempt.

The only other time Johnson was targeted came in the second half and it was yet another blunder from the pass-catcher. He was wide open in the middle of the field but slipped and face-planted into the turf. It was rather embarrassing and could have been the final dagger in Lamar Jackson’s trust for the newest member of Baltimore’s offense.

Checking in on Diontae Johnson LOL pic.twitter.com/dl2W5q19g7

— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress)November 8, 2024

Johnson is rather lucky that a Bengals defender wasn’t lurking right behind him to intercept the pass from Jackson. It’s fairly simple for a player joining a new team to start slow and be worked in at a moderate pace, but Johnson has made absolutely no impact on the Ravens offense since being traded from Carolina. Baltimore is on a historic pace offensively and one has to wonder if, at this point, the front office is regretting the move, despite giving up very little.

Johnson will be a free agent in 2025 and it almost seems as if he might have to play on a one-year deal to prove himself. He remains an elite route-runner, but his showings to this point with the Ravens have been far from inspiring. It’s going to be extremely interesting when Harbaugh and his team come to the Steel City in Week 11 for a monumental game.

Steelers Have Chance To Have Last Laugh With Johnson Trade

Joey Porter Jr. could very well have the job of containing Zay Flowers in Week 11, while Jackson could line up against Johnson quite often. This will be a full-circle moment for Pittsburgh, as Johnson is returning to the Steel City in a game in which he wasn’t expected to be a part of when he was traded. He now has a mini bye week to learn more of the Ravens playbook and prepare for his former team.