Some NFL players had a roller coaster season in 2024. Diontae Johnson was like a trolley car going out of control in the dark, people screaming everywhere he went. Johnson was cut by the Texans on Tuesday, so unless something drastic happens, his season should be over.
Johnson's downfall is something to study. He entered the year as the Carolina Panthers' No. 1 receiver and was believed to be essential to second-year Bryce Young's success, but now he has been usurped. two Both were still playing on different teams in the playoffs, and both needed urgent help at the position.
So what exactly happened to lure the former 1,000-yard receiver from the Steelers and relegate him to the back of the roster before he even turned 30? The simple answer is “attitude,” but there's a lot more going on here.
Problems in Pittsburgh…Guys
Johnson was undoubtedly a great talent for the Steelers, but he also had an uncanny ability to separate himself from his teammates and coaches. In the five years since being drafted by the team in 2019, he has been able to accomplish the following:
Whether that's true or not, the perception among Pittsburghers is that Johnson was more concerned with his own performance than helping his team win, and that he didn't want to hear anything from the fans when they lost. Ta. The end result was the Steelers trading a difficult receiver to the Panthers, which was believed at the time to be a home run gain for Carolina. The significant lack of weapons opened up the possibility for him to become a true No. 1 receiver, but that didn't pan out either.
What went wrong in Carolina?
At first, everything looked like roses for the Panthers. Johnson was doing the right things and saying the right things, his coaches were raving about his play in training camp, and things looked like they were about to take a big step forward.
When the actual match started, it was clear that things were going badly. Johnson had been frustrated by the jumps his receivers often make when the offense was bad, but this crossed the line and made him noticeably angry at Bryce Young for something out of the young QB's control.
Johnson didn't like the lack of deep throws. He didn't like QBs choosing second and third options. He was visibly upset when the coaches put him in a package without him on the field. The experiment didn't work, and after seven games, the Panthers decided to trade Johnson for next to nothing, sending Johnson and a sixth-round pick to the Ravens for the No. 5 pick.
The initial reaction was that Carolina was extorted for too little in return, but little did we know.
What went wrong with Balitmore?
Diontae Johnson seemed like the perfect fit for the Ballitmore Ravens. Not only is he ready to give Lamar Jackson the deep threat they've been missing, but he's also expected to give the Ravens information about the Steelers they didn't have, ostensibly an offering from their fierce divisional rival. was.
Like Carolina, Johnson quickly became frustrated with the lack of snaps. There was clearly a hierarchy on the team, and Johnson was at the bottom of it. When it finally looked like the team wanted to start using him more, Johnson refused to play in the game against the Eagles and received a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team.
Johnson was released by the Ravens shortly after, and his stay in Baltimore lasted seven weeks. The Texans will likely be the next organization to step up by claiming Johnson off waivers.
What went wrong in Houston?
Another landing spot that seemed logical. The Texans needed help after Tank Dell's season-ending injury, and Johnson's words made a lot of sense.
We don't know the full story yet in Houston, but we do know that Johnson had little impact during his time with the team. In the wild-card playoff game against the Chargers, he played 16 snaps and had one target for 12 yards receiving.
Oddly enough, this happened after playing nearly the entire game against the Titans in Week 18, when C.J. Stroud was benched for the playoffs and Johnson was relegated to playing as a reserve. Given what we know of Johnson's history, this would not have been up to his high standards, and is one of the reasons he was released from the roster just days before a crucial playoff game. There may be.
What's next?
someone It was done Some have argued for exempting Diontae Johnson, but it's unclear who wants that headache. He has had regular problems in every game this season, and something needs to happen on a fundamental level if he wants to get his career back on track.
If he clears waivers, he will become an unrestricted free agent and someone will be able to scam him in 2025. Whether that leads to any lasting success or merely halts a sad decline is another story.
