Diontae Johnson wanted a fresh start with the Houston Texans.
Three weeks later, he’ll look for his fifth “fresh start” of the 2024 season.
The Texans waived the veteran receiver on Tuesday morning, ending his stay with the AFC South champions less than a month after being placed on waivers by the Baltimore Ravens.
Initially expected to replace Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs are the No. 2 receiver in the passing game, Johnson rarely saw action in Saturday’s 31-12 wild-card round win over the Los Angeles Chargers, catching one pass for a 12-yard gain.
Diontae Johnson’s stops this calendar year:
🏈Pittsburgh
🏈Carolina
🏈Baltimore
🏈Houston https://t.co/PaOJPhz8WA— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 14, 2025
After missing Week 17’s Christmas Day matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, Johnson returned one punt for zero yards in 22 snaps and 37 percent of the offensive playing time during a 23-14 win over the Tennessee Titans. He caught two passes for 12 yards on four targets with one first down.
“With Diontae, I was really impressed with this last week of practice,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said before the Chargers game. “I thought he picked up on the things we were asking him to do. I thought he had some really nice catches, really nice plays throughout practice and he got in the game.
“We will start to continue to feed him more to see how he can help us.”
After a seven-week debacle with the Ravens, Johnson landed on waivers. Before his release, Baltimore suspended him for one game for his refusal to play against the Eagles.
The Ravens had acquired him in a trade with the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 29 to serve as the No. 2 target opposite Zay Flowers, but he played only 39 snaps for the team, catching one pass for 6 yards.
Texans waive WR Diontae Johnson. pic.twitter.com/XX0hf6N2qt
— NFL (@NFL) January 14, 2025
In Carolina, Johnson had 30 catches for 257 yards and three touchdowns for Carolina through seven games. He had been traded to the NFC South franchise in the offseason by the Pittsburgh Steelers after dealing with drama in the 2023 campaign.
A former 2019 third-round pick out of Toledo, Johnson finished with 391 catches for 4,363 yards and 25 touchdowns in Pittsburgh. He earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2021 with his lone 1,000-yard season and a career-high eight touchdown receptions en route to helping the Steelers make the playoffs in 2021.
The Texans take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round this Saturday on ESPN and ABC. Kickoff from Arrowhead Stadium is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
