The Baltimore Ravens had been considering Diontae Johnson’s future with the team for weeks after he refused to play in their game against the Philadelphia Eagles. However, it took them two and a half weeks to finally release him.
So, why the delay? According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Ravens were concerned that if they cut Johnson too soon, he might return to the Steelers and be available to play against them in their upcoming game.
To prevent that, they chose to wait until Friday to release him, ensuring he would remain on waivers until Monday at 4 p.m.
“The timing is key,” Rapoport explained. “If they had released him a day earlier, the Steelers could have claimed him and played him against the Ravens. They wanted to avoid that.”
After the Steelers’ loss to the Ravens, head coach Mike Tomlin declined to comment on any potential interest in Johnson. “I have nothing to add about somebody that’s not on our football team right now,” Tomlin said.
Johnson had refused to enter the Ravens’ game against the Eagles after Rashod Bateman was injured, reportedly unhappy with his limited playing time in a contract year. He was traded from the Panthers, whom the Steelers had traded him to in March, just before the trade deadline.
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