The Baltimore Ravens still aren’t ready to welcome Diontae Johnson back into the fold, a decision that looks risky amid a slew of potential injuries at wide receiver ahead of Week 16’s critical clash against AFC North rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That game takes place on Saturday, December 21 at M&T Bank Stadium, but the Ravens could be without Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor. Both wideouts appeared on the same injury report as Johnson.
The report showed Johnson is out, while Agholor didn’t practice on Thursday because of a concussion, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Bateman’s name was also in the mix, with one of quarterback Lamar Jackson’s favorite targets dealing with a foot issue and listed as “questionable,” along with Agholor.
Perhaps the Ravens are confident one or both of Bateman and Agholor will be good to go on game-day. That would explain keeping Johnson out of the fray, despite his return from a team-imposed, one-game suspension, out of the fray.
The Ravens will regret this thinking if they are down even one veteran wide receiver against an opponent who has frequently had their number in recent seasons.
Diontae Johnson Still Not Making His Way Back
Any thoughts of Johnson quickly being reintegrated into the Ravens offense were dashed when his suspension ended after Week 15. That’s when head coach John Harbaugh contradicted a report from an NFL insider by confirming Johnson would be held out of team activities this week.
Harbaugh had left the possibility open for Johnson to still return later in the week, but that won’t happen now. A return would have been timely with the Ravens set to face Johnson’s former team, a Steelers outfit that’s won eight of the last nine meetings between the two familiar foes.
Johnson had helped the Steelers maintain their recent dominance in the rivalry by scoring a 71-yard touchdown at the Ravens expense in Week 18 last season.
The Ravens were hoping for plays like this when they sent a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft to the Carolina Panthers to acquire the 28-year-old before this season’s trade deadline.
Things haven’t work out as planned, but Johnson’s issues have been offset by Bateman’s emergence.
Ravens Need Rashod Bateman Healthy for Steelers
A lack of playing time has left Johnson frustrated, but getting on the field is bound to be tough when Bateman has been thriving. The 31st player drafted in 2021 has dealt with a myriad of injuries, including worryingly, foot problems, but Bateman has retained the faith of Jackson.
That support has been repaid by Bateman cementing himself as one of the league’s most prolific deep threats. His status as a vertical playmaker was confirmed by a 49-yard touchdown grab against the New York Giants last week.
It was one of two scores credited to Bateman, but this particular touchdown gave him “three receiving TDs this season of 40+ yards,” trailing only Cincinnati Bengals Pro Bowler Ja’Marr Chase, per The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer.
That number shows Bateman’s value in this offense. Agholor can work between the numbers and knows how to get open in the red zone, but Bateman gives Jackson sudden-strike capability.
It’s something he’ll need against a Pittsburgh defense that’s consistently managed to make the two-time NFL MVP appear ordinary.
