Ravens WR Diontae Johnson Previews Reunion vs. Steelers

Baltimore Ravens receiver Diontae Johnson will face his former Pittsburgh Steelers team twice this season.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson (18) celebrates a reception against the Tennessee Titans during the fourth quarter of their game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Penn., Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Diontae Johnson had hardly landed on his feet at the Baltimore Ravens facility before being asked his former team.

The Carolina Panthers traded Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick to Baltimore for a 2025 fifth-round pick Tuesday but it was with the Pittsburgh Steelers where the one-time Pro Bowl receiver earned his NFL stripes while being a heated AFC North rival of the Ravens.

When meeting with the media, Johnson talked about facing the Steelers two times this season. The Ravens will head to Pittsburgh in Week 11 before hosting the Steelers in Week 16.

"I'm looking forward to that game," Johnson said. "But I'm focused on right now."

Johnson was then asked what he remembers about facing the Ravens during his time in Pittsburgh.

"Just how hard we competed against each other," Johnson said. "Getting the football out; just making plays and everybody tackling. It's a big rivalry game, so just to be on this side now is different. I'm excited."

Johnson played five years with the Steelers after they selected him in the third round out of Toledo in the 2019 NFL Draft. He led the league in average yards per punt return as a rookie before finishing with his first-career 1,000-yard receiving season two years later in 2021, which earned him a Pro Bowl nod.

In 77 career regular-season games and 67 starts with Pittsburgh, Johnson tallied 391 catches for 4,363 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also added 19 carries for 134 yards.

In nine career games against the Ravens as a member of the Steelers, Johnson posted 45 catches for 495 yards and two touchdowns. This included a performance in a 20-19 win over the Ravens in Week 13 of the 2021 season in which he finished with eight catches for 105 yards and two scores.

Johnson will make his Ravens debut when Baltimore hosts the Denver Broncos in Week 9.

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