CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens have added another offensive playmaker for quarterback Lamar Jackson.
The Ravens acquired wide receiver Diontae Johnson and a sixth-round pick in 2025 from the Carolina Panthers for a 2025 fifth-rounder, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the trade has not been made official.
Johnson had been Carolina’s leading wide receiver since being acquired in an offseason trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers for cornerback Donte Jackson. Johnson has 30 receptions for 357 yards and three touchdowns for Carolina, but did not play in Sunday’s 28-14 loss to the Denver Broncos because of a rib injury.
Johnson was set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
The two-time MVP Jackson is having the best passing season of his career for the Ravens, with a 115.4 rating and 2,099 yards passing. He’s thrown 17 touchdown passes with only two interceptions.
Johnson now joins second-year wide receiver Zay Flowers and 24-year-old Rashod Bateman — plus a handful of capable tight ends — among Jackson’s options.
However, it’s the defense that threatens to hold the Ravens back.
Baltimore allowed 401 yards in a loss to Cleveland on Sunday that left the Ravens (5-3) a game behind Pittsburgh in the AFC North. So even after acquiring Johnson, Baltimore may not be done dealing before the trade deadline.
The Panthers (1-7) are likely in selling mode with the season slipping away and eager to improve their draft positioning for next season.
The 28-year-old Johnson’s best season came in 2021 when he caught 107 passes for 1,161 yards with eight touchdowns for the Steelers.
But he hasn’t quite returned to that level of production.
He followed that season up with 86 catches for 882 yards in 2022, and his numbers fell off last year as the Steelers shifted the focus of their passing game to young wide receiver George Pickens. Johnson finished with a career-low 51 catches for 717 yards along with five TDs in 2023.
Johnson had previously said that he wanted to remain with the Panthers after trade rumors began to swirl around him earlier this season, adding that he was happy catching passes from veteran quarterback Andy Dalton.
The trade of Johnson leaves the Panthers with a young wide receiving group outside of veteran Adam Thielen, who has missed the past five games with a hamstring injury, and David Moore.
The Panthers have been leaning more in recent weeks on 2024 first-round pick Xavier Legette and undrafted rookie Jalen Coker, who caught his first touchdown pass on Sunday.
Moore and Legette started on Sunday with Johnson and Thielen out.
Coker had four catches for 78 yards and a touchdown against Denver, while Legette had four grabs for 34 yards and a score, his third of the season. Moore had four catches for 39 yards.
Thielen is expected to return this week when the Panthers host the New Orleans Saints.
Jonathan Mingo, a second-round pick in 2023, has also been active but is losing reps to Coker. He has just one catch in the past three games.
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AP Sports Writer Noah Trister contributed to this report.
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