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Did the Ravens or Panthers win the deal for WR?

Did the Ravens or Panthers win the deal for WR?
Posted on | Posted on angela

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The ongoing rush ahead of next week's NFL trade deadline continued Tuesday as teams, particularly those in the AFC, continue to try to keep up with the Joneses – or Johnsons, or Adamses, or Coopers or Hopkinses – by adding their wide receiver improve.

The most recent move was made by the Baltimore Ravens, who brought wideout Diontae Johnson back to the AFC North for the mere price of a late pick swap with the Carolina Panthers.

How does this step affect the balance of power in the conference? Maybe in more ways than you might think.

Here are the winners, losers and grades for this month's last significant trade, which falls exactly a week before the November 5th deadline:

WINNER

Baltimore Ravens

They add another weapon to what is probably the most dangerous and diverse offense in the league. Would like to load the box attempt and stop the running threat of QB Lamar Jackson and/or RB Derrick Henry? Cool. Jackson will simply pick you apart by throwing to the best tight end combination in the league (Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely) or a group of wideouts with first-round experience (Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor), a group that now counts former third-rounder Johnson in its ranks. But if the defense is upset about the quality of the pass catchers… well, that hardly seems like a viable option there if it means diverting resources from tackling the NFL's No. 1 rushing attack. Pick your poison? A quick death might be preferable.

Eric DeCosta

As one of the best general managers in the league, he learned quite well during a decade-long apprenticeship with his predecessor and Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome. DeCosta nabbed Johnson for less than a song, making him the latest substantial acquisition in what has become a tradition in Baltimore over the years – players like LB Roquan Smith, CB Marcus Peters, OLB Yannick Ngakoue and LT Eugene Monroe are among the significant players who joined the Ravens in the middle of a season.

Diontae Johnson

He goes from perhaps the worst team in the league in Carolina to perhaps the best team in Baltimore. Johnson will be a free agent after this season and could ultimately be rewarded by the fact that there is almost always a premium when signing players who have recently won a ring… if he can actually help the Ravens in their pursuit after winning the franchise's first Lombardi Trophy in 12 years.

LOSER

Diontae Johnson

It will be virtually impossible to get No. 1 receiver compensation — or even a high-end WR2 paycheck — when you're faced with the prospect of joining your fourth team in a year next March. And the downside of such a varied offense from an individual perspective is that you have to feed all mouths. Johnson, who missed last weekend's game, rushed for about 70 balls and 800 yards in Carolina's extremely limiting situation. But it will likely be difficult to reach even those modest benchmarks in Baltimore, where Flowers (5.1) is the only player averaging more than three grabs per week.

Dan Morgan

You can't really blame the Panthers' rookie general for the state of a franchise headed for the No. 1 pick in yet another NFL Draft. But if Morgan has his organization's long-term health in mind, getting an upgraded Day 3 pick for a player of Johnson's caliber certainly won't feel like much of a return. And don't forget he traded off Pro Bowl OLB Brian Burns in the offseason, essentially for a second-rounder on the New York Giants. That, too, felt easy at the time, and it's worth wondering whether Carolina could have gotten at least as much for Burns if they had held on to him and attempted something of a bidding war given the premier position he plays ignite. Maybe Morgan is making the most of a bad hand. And maybe he's not playing his cards quite right.

Pittsburgh Steelers

While they also traded late-round picks, they sent Johnson to the Panthers in March for CB Donte Jackson, who hasn't done much defensively for a Steelers team that could really use another receiver right now. Pittsburgh didn't just fire Johnson because of performance issues, but in hindsight he could be doubly hurt by his offensive absence and presence with the arch-rival Ravens (5-3), who are currently one game behind the Steelers in first place in the AFC North.

Bryce Young

The number one goal in Carolina right now should be to rehabilitate the quarterback selected with the top pick of the 2023 draft…which seems like a monumental mistake right now, even if many of the adverse circumstances are beyond Young's control. Only the Panthers know whether Johnson's presence didn't help accelerate Young's development. And his departure will definitely give young receivers Xavier Legette, Jonathan Mingo and Jalen Coker even more snaps… although it's hard to argue that very green pass-catchers are promoting a 23-year-old signal-caller who really needs a security blanket, especially there Adam Thielen is still on injured reserve.

Houston Texans

They announced Tuesday that WR Stefon Diggs, whose contract was set to expire after this year after he was signed last spring, will not return this year due to a season-ending ACL injury. Johnson would have been a pretty clever replacement – Nico Collins can't return from a hamstring injury until Week 10 – especially given the low payout. But GM Nick Caserio apparently didn't try or want to pull the trigger for Johnson.

Baltimore Ravens

Maybe DeCosta has more tricks up his sleeve, but shouldn't he be focused on trying to bolster a 25th-ranked defense instead of an offense that's already performing at a historically good level – only fourth with at least 20 points and 375 yards each of the first eight games of a season? Stay tuned.

DIONTAE JOHNSON TRADE GRADES

Baltimore Ravens: A

They got Johnson and a sixth-rounder for a Round 5 pick in the next year's draft. Baltimore's strength is strengthened, its offense is even scarier and – not for nothing – Johnson will not end up on the roster of another team like Houston, the Los Angeles Chargers or any other team, potentially giving the Ravens an unnecessary problem to deal with in January have to deal with.

Carolina Panthers: D+

At least they got (barely) something instead of letting Johnson get away with nothing in 2025. And perhaps there was an addition-by-subtraction element in the locker room. But if improving on a Day 3 draft choice for Morgan was the best thing on the table…then why not leave the table temporarily or until next week and see how Week 9 might have further changed the market?

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Follow USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

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