Diontae Johnson will be contributing to an AFC playoff team after all – just not the Baltimore Ravens.
The wide receiver was claimed by the Houston Texans on Monday, just three days after he was waived by the Ravens.
Johnson, 28, was acquired by Baltimore in a deal ahead of the NFL trade deadline. The sixth-year veteran led the Carolina Panthers with 30 catches for 357 yards and three touchdowns at the time of the move but expressed his frustration with the offense as the team slid to 1-7.
Yet his time with the Ravens proved far less fruitful. Johnson recorded just one catch for 6 yards in four games, and the team suspended him for one game after he refused to enter a Week 13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He remained away from team activities the week after his ban and then was waived.
In Houston, Johnson could be in line for meaningful playing time in the early going after wide receiver Tank Dell suffered a season-ending knee injury in Saturday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Stefon Diggs, who was acquired in the offseason, also is out for the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL in late October.
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The Texans, who will host the Ravens on Christmas, have already clinched the AFC South for the second consecutive season.
This story has been updated with new information.