Johnson joins the herd

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta has made his first splash on the trade market ahead of next week’s deadline. After watching Buffalo and Kansas City acquire weapons for their franchise quarterbacks, Baltimore went out and acquired one of the best pass catchers on the market, Diontae Johnson. Johnson brings immediate impact to a Ravens offense that already ranks in the top five in all major statistical categories. Not only does Johnson provide another threat to the Ravens’ fifth-ranked passing attack, but he also adds much-needed depth to a younger wide receiver room.

What does Diontae Johnson bring to the Ravens?

Nelson Agholor has been efficient, but doesn’t seem to have the tools to be a WR2 should Zay Flowers or Rashod Bateman suffer an unfortunate injury. Baltimore will trade away a fifth-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft while the Panthers will receive a sixth-round pick. According to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, Carolina has also taken over a majority of Johnson’s contract, leaving the Ravens only paying $625,000. It’s hard to hate this play, despite the obvious need on the defensive side of the ball. It’s another weapon that can be added to a plethora of skill position players, a method similar to that used in San Francisco.

Baltimore will overwhelm you with speed and elite route running, a recipe for disaster for opposing defenses. With DeCosta only sending a 5th round pick to Carolina and acquiring the talent he has, one has to be curious as to what else could be in the works. According to James Palmer of Bleacher Report, acquiring Johnson is not expected to have any impact on Baltimore’s ability to make another move before the trade deadline.

It’s most likely just a rental since Johnson is expected to hit the open market after this season, but his track-running ability makes it worth the short stay.

At first glance, it appears to be a win in the Ravens’ favor, and another move could regain the trust that the fan base is currently lacking.

What does Johnson bring to the offense?

It’s crazy considering how far this receiver room has come from two seasons ago, and you have to admire EDC’s willingness to tackle the position. Seemingly replacing Odell Beckham Jr.’s production from last season with a rookie who hasn’t seen the field much has made the depth at receiver a little more apparent as this season progresses. Acquiring Johnson not only addresses the need for legitimate depth, but also adds another interim weapon to Lamar Jackson.

Johnson averages a depth of target of 10.6 yards, ranking 26th among receivers with at least 40 targets this season. He has been successful on routes from 10 to 19 yards this season and has a PFF grade of 90.9. On intermediate routes, Johnson has 114 yards and 2 touchdowns, averaging 14.3 yards per reception. It’s almost a match made in heaven considering Jackson has thrived at such depth this season, as the QB connects on 78.6% of his passes for 761 yards, 6 touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Expect Johnson to play more of an outside role, as he has lined up on the outside in 79.1% of his appearances this season. Bringing in another outside threat will allow the Ravens to use Flowers in the slot more frequently as the season progresses. Zay leads all Ravens receivers this year with 95 snaps from the slot. If he utilizes more of Zay’s quickness and quickness from the slot, especially in the RPO game, Jackson will be a threat all over the field playing the ball.

The talent surrounding Johnson was his so-called problem with “drops.” In seven games, Johnson only suffered a total of two drops, the same number as his new teammate Flowers this season. Given the quality of quarterback play in Carolina this season, it’s difficult to really dive deep into Johnson’s advanced stats. However, it’s easy to get excited about the potential Johnson brings to the Ravens’ receiver corps. We saw Amari Cooper adapt quickly in Buffalo, and DeAndre Hopkins came into play less than a week after that move.

Will Johnson produce similar results on Sunday against the Broncos, or will Baltimore take a more conservative approach with its newly acquired wideout?