Why Haven’t the Ravens Played Dionte Johnson?

Dionte Johnson was one of the hottest names on the market at wide receiver heading into the trade deadline. The former Carolina Panther was playing at a fairly high level despite Carolina's early-season debacles. Despite this, however, since being acquired by the Ravens for a fifth-round pick, Johnson has seen very little of the field.

This week against the Eagles, Johnson failed to log a single snap in a 24-19 loss. Head Coach John Harbaugh spoke on the decision not to play Johnson, stating he would have to wait to discuss the decision further. Harbaugh continued to stress that the situation might be more sophisticated than initially believed, mentioning that there are a lot of "moving pieces" involved. At any rate, it is still very confusing why Johnson hasn't been involved at least a little bit in the Ravens' game plan when they tried pretty hard to acquire him. He was a very competitive target at the deadline, with at least a few other teams vying for his services; yet the Ravens were the ones to meet the asking price.

Johnson is still an effective player, as he demonstrated as recently as September when he recorded 122 and 83 yards with touchdowns in back-to-back games. It has been a focus of Baltimore to bolster the receiving corps in hopes of aiding Lamar Jackson en route to a potential Super Bowl trip, which makes it all the more confusing why they aren't utilizing the talented receiver. Nevertheless, situations like this tend to happen in the NFL, and I am sure the team and Johnson are looking to resolve the situation as soon as possible. I expect the wide receiver to have some type of role in the coming weeks as the team continues to fight for its chance at the Lombardi Trophy.