OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Offensively, the rich get richer. Diontae Johnson returns to the AFC North after being drafted by the Steelers in 2019 before being traded to the Carolina Panthers in March this year.
Johnson was a Pro Bowler in 2021. The sixth-year wideout led the Panthers in receptions this season and will bring more depth to this pass offense, which ranks 5th in the league.
"It still [doesn't] seem real to me. It's a blessing for me just to get another opportunity to come back to the AFC North," says Johnson.
"I know what Lamar [Jackson] brings to the table, so just to be able to contribute to the offense that he's a part of and that he leads [and] is a leader of is a blessing. I'm going [to] do whatever I can to help this offense continue to get better," says Johnson.
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"Diontae [Johnson] is a guy, obviously, we know a little bit about, playing against him all of those years with the Steelers. [He] was in Carolina; [we] studied him on tape, [and] he looked good. [He] was out here today in practice, and he looked good, and he's in the process of trying to pick up the offense and be ready to contribute as soon as he can," says head coach John Harbaugh.
Bad news for the Ravens' defensive front, Michael Pierce was placed on IR today. However, the good news is coming out of their secondary. Defensive backs Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins returned to practice after missing last week's game in Cleveland.
"I thought Marlon and Nate had really good practices today, so we'll go day by day. They looked good today, and we're looking forward to hopefully seeing them out there Sunday," says Harbaugh.
With a new weapon on offense and a pass defense working to get back healthy, the focus is how to improve to 6-3 and beat a Denver Broncos team that is top 10 in defense.
"[They're] a very sound defense [and] they're playing together really well. They're the [third]-ranked defense, [they're seventh] and fourth in the two categories. [they're] really looking good statistically [and] playing good ball," says Harbaugh.
