Former Baltimore Ravens WR signing with AFC division rival in a surprising move

The Baltimore Ravens finished the 2024 regular season with the No. 1 offense in the NFL. 

The combination of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry — along with the threat of Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers in the passing game — became an unstoppable force. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken catered an offense that forced opposing defenses to account for both Jackson and Henry as runners, while still forcing them to respect the passing game. 

The result? The 2024 Baltimore Ravens finished the year averaging 424.9 yards per game, while racking up 65 touchdowns on the season. When the playoffs came around the Ravens offense was even more impressive, averaging 440 yards in the postseason. 

Still, the Ravens weren’t able to get past the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round and a familiar trend continued. Since Lamar Jackson took over as the Ravens QB in 2018, Baltimore has reached the playoffs six out of the seven seasons with him leading the offense. Jackson has won NFL Offensive Player of the Year twice, but Baltimore hasn’t been able to get past the Bills, Chiefs and Bengals to reach a Super Bowl. 

The Ravens made a few major moves this offseason to keep their offense at the top of the NFL. Most notably, they reached a contract extension with All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley, a player many believed would leave for another team in free agency. As of now, the Ravens also have decided to keep tight end Mark Andrews, who was mentioned in trade rumors considering his cap number and contract ending soon. 

In the NFL Draft, the Ravens bolstered their offensive line with OT Emery Jones Jr. out of LSU in the third round. They also gave Jackson another weapon by drafting WR LaJohntay Wester from Colorado in the sixth round. 

While the Baltimore Ravens look like they will be atop of the AFC North again in 2025, their division rival in Cleveland doesn’t appear to have a clear plan. The Browns already had two veteran QB’s and drafted two rookies, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders over the weekend. 

And on Monday the Browns added one of the Ravens former receivers who never panned out in Baltimore. Per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Baltimore signed Diontae Johnson after a tryout. 

After the Panthers traded Johnson to the Ravens last season, it quickly became apparent that he wasn't a good fit for the team. He recorded just one reception in his first four games and was suspended by the team in December after refusing to come into a game against the Philadelphia Eagles