Diontae Johnson trade grades: Ravens load up for Super Bowl run; Panthers focus on the future

On By Littum

The Carolina Panthers traded wide receiver Diontae Johnson and a sixth-round draft pick to the Baltimore Ravens for a fifth-rounder.

Why they made the trade

The Panthers (1-7) are back in the race for the No. 1 pick in the draft, and the 28-year-old Johnson will hit free agency after the season. Johnson generated enough trade interest that it felt inevitable that he would be moved before next week’s trade deadline. The Panthers are once again in sale mode.

The Ravens (5-3), on the other hand, look like Super Bowl contenders if they can shore up some areas, including the need to improve the receiving group. Quarterback Lamar Jackson has a strong chance to win his third MVP award this season, but he needed reinforcements.

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Johnson, who is owed only the remainder of his $7 million base salary, has had three productive games this season amid the Panthers’ quarterback chaos. He was a bigger threat during his best seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2020-22, so the Ravens hope to help him regain that production. It won’t be seamless with a midseason trade, but Johnson gives the Ravens a boost on the outside at minimal cost.

Johnson has played nine games against the Ravens, totaling 34 catches for 495 yards and three touchdowns. In other words, they are familiar with his work.

Raven grade: B

The Ravens have searched the receiver market but missed out on more prominent veterans such as Davante Adams (New York Jets), Amari Cooper (Buffalo Bills) and DeAndre Hopkins (Kansas City Chiefs). After those three, Johnson might be the best receiver to be moved before the deadline.

The Ravens have a budding star in Zay Flowers, who has team-highs with 41 catches and 527 yards, but their second-most productive receiver has been Rashod Bateman (22 catches, 422 yards, three touchdowns). Johnson is an upgrade over Nelson Agholor and gives Baltimore depth at the position.

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The Ravens go for it. And when Flowers went down with an ankle injury last week, they likely recognized how quickly depth could be tested at the position.

Panthers grade: C-

The Panthers paired a small payroll that can roll into free agency. Every little bit helps when a team is staring into a massive rebuild.

But turning an early sixth rounder into a late fifth rounder doesn’t move the needle all that much. It feels like a low return, but it would be hard to believe the Panthers didn’t take the best offer on the table.

It’s also fair to argue that it would be counterproductive to erase a piece from the offense after second-year quarterback Bryce Young was reinstated as the starter due to Andy Dalton’s thumb injury. But there is so much uncertainty with Young’s future in the organization that moving Johnson might not be a big concern.

The Panthers have a long way to go and Johnson was not part of their future plans.

More trading characters:

• Josh Uche: Chiefs can’t lose with high-upside deal; Patriots go into sell mode
• DeAndre Hopkins: Chiefs get Patrick Mahomes the help he desperately needed
• Davante Adams: Kudos to Jets for pushing all-in; why did the raiders wait so long?
• Amari Cooper: Bills Add Up; Brune tries to make the best of a bad situation

(Photo: Ian Maule/Getty Images)