At this point, there may be enough NFL teams burned by Diontae Johnson to start a support group.
On Tuesday, the Houston Texans waived the sixth-year wideout after just two games with the team. This comes just weeks after the Baltimore Ravens waived Johnson when he played just four games for them.
Turns out, there’s more in common between the two situations.
According to a report by ESPN, Johnson caused a stir in the locker room when he, wait for it, wasn’t happy with his usage in Saturday’s playoff game.
“Following the Texans’ wild-card playoff victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday, Johnson was visibly upset in the locker room,” ESPN wrote. “He was fully dressed sitting at his locker staring in frustration because of a lack of playing time and targets. Running back Joe Mixon and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair tried to comfort and encourage him.
“Johnson played only 15 out of the Texans’ 70 offensive snaps and received only one target. He finished the game with one catch for 12 yards.”
That should ring more than a few bells for Ravens fans.
In the four games he played in Baltimore, Johnson appeared on just 39 offensive snaps and was reportedly unhappy with his lack of playing time. Tensions reached a boiling point during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 1, when he refused to enter the game despite fellow receiver Rashod Bateman suffering an injury. After the Ravens subsequently suspended him and then excused him from team activities, they finally put an end to the exhausting saga by releasing him on Dec. 20.
It took even less time for Johnson to flame out in Houston, and it took place during the postseason for an added bit of drama. Ultimately, it’s not hard to see why the Texans moved off of him so quickly.
“Unfortunately, with Diontae it didn’t work out,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Tuesday. “We’re on to the Chiefs.”
