The Baltimore Ravens suffered a disappointing 24-19 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13, bringing their overall record to 8-5 in 2024.
With Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman taking the top two spots in the Ravens’ wide receiver depth chart, Diontae Johnson, who the Carolina Panthers traded to Baltimore ahead of the NFL trade deadline, has been moved down to the fifth position behind Nelson Agholor and Tylan Wallace.
Johnson had a chance to get on the field early against Philadelphia and show off his abilities after Bateman suffered a knee injury and left the game. However, Johnson refused to enter the game and is now facing a one-game suspension for his behavior.
Panthers Icon Luke Kuechly Drops Bold Verdict on Diontae Johnson’s Position With Ravens
The Ravens announced Johnson’s suspension for the road game against the New York Giants on Dec. 15 following Baltimore’s bye week.
In their statement, Ravens general manager and executive vice president Eric DeCosta said that they had made the difficult decision to suspend Johnson for the Giants game for conduct detrimental to the team. The statement also emphasized that there will be no further comments from the franchise on the matter.
During a segment on the “Up & Adams Show,” Panthers icon Luke Kuechly bluntly addressed the situation and said, “You know, you look at what Baltimore does on the offensive side of the ball, the two good tight ends. You got Pat Ricard, Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, Bateman, and Nelson Agholor.
.@LukeKuechly gives his thoughts on former Panther Diontae Johnson being suspended by the #Ravens… 🔊
"I don't think they're in any position to where they HAVE to put him in the game… either you're going to adhere to how we do things or you're probably just not gonna play."… pic.twitter.com/bDNYjUswHV
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) December 5, 2024
“There’s just not a lot of opportunity for him to get on the field. They run 21 personnel with Big Ricard and hammer the ball with Derrick Henry. They go 12 with those two big tight ends, and then Zay Flowers is having a career year. It’s kind of just, you know, where do you where do you fit into this whole thing?” Kuechly continued.
“I don’t think they’re in any position to where they feel like they have to put him in the game… either you’re going to adhere to how we do things, or you’re probably just not gonna play.”
Kuechly also drew comparisons between Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh in terms of how they convey their intentions with a player.
Following the game, Coach Harbaugh responded cryptically when asked why Johnson didn’t enter the game and said he’d have to wait to answer that question.