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Diontae Johnson

Diontae Johnson

28-Year-Old Wide ReceiverWR
Cleveland Browns
2024 Receiving Stats
REC
33
YDS
375
TD
3
AVG
11.4
TAR
67
2025 Projections
REC
YDS
TD
AVG
TAR
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2025 Fantasy Outlook
Johnson spent time with four organizations last year, starting with a trade from Pittsburgh to Carolina in March. He had three touchdowns and 306 receiving yards in a four-game stretch Weeks 3-6, but the Panthers traded him to Baltimore at the end of October for nothing more than a late-round pick swap. Johnson never earned a top-three role with the Ravens and eventually responded by refusing to enter a game, which led to a suspension and later his release. He signed with Houston, where he again failed to earn a key role and was waived during the playoffs. The Browns signed him to a one-year contract this offseason, hoping Johnson can overcome his reputation as a locker-room cancer and compete for a starting job opposite Jerry Jeudy. It's a rough situation for receiver production even if that happens, and Johnson is now four years removed from his 2021 breakout season, with a clear downward trend in both usage and production. Read Past Outlooks
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RANKS
#228.82
ADP
#Subscriber-Only
Overall
#Subscriber-Only
Wide Receiver
Bye Week 9
Height 5'10"
Weight 183
DOB 7/5/1996
College Toledo
Drafted 3rd Rd 2019 #66 Overall
Signed a contract with the Browns in April of 2025.
Finds new home in Cleveland
WRCleveland Browns
April 28, 2025
Johnson signed a contract with the Browns on Monday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
ANALYSIS
After spending the first five years of his career with the Steelers, the 2019 third-rounder was shipped to the Panthers last offseason, dealt to the Ravens in late October and also had a brief stint with the Texans down the stretch after a tumultuous time in Baltimore. Between the three teams, Johnson hauled in 33 of 67 targets for 375 yards and three touchdowns in 12 regular-season games. All but the TD mark were career lows. Upon joining Cleveland, he'll be a part of his third AFC North organization and likely will be in the mix for regular snaps in a receiving corps without established options beyond Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman (concussion).
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NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
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Advanced NFL Stats
How do Diontae Johnson's 2024 advanced stats compare to other wide receivers?
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
  • Air Yards Per Game
    The number of air yards he is averaging per game. Air yards measure how far the ball was thrown downfield for both complete and incomplete passes. Air yards are recorded as a negative value when the pass is targeted behind the line of scrimmage. All air yards data is from Sports Info Solutions and does not include throwaways as targeted passes.
  • Air Yards Per Snap
    The number of air yards he is averaging per offensive snap.
  • % Team Air Yards
    The percentage of the team's total air yards he accounts for.
  • % Team Targets
    The percentage of the team's total targets he accounts for.
  • Avg Depth of Target
    Also known as aDOT, this stat measures the average distance down field he is being targeted at.
  • Catch Rate
    The number of catches made divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Drop Rate
    The number of passes he dropped divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Avg Yds After Catch
    The number of yards he gains after the catch on his receptions.
  • % Targeted On Route
    Targets divided by total routes run. Also known as TPRR.
  • Avg Yds Per Route Run
    Receiving yards divided by total routes run. Also known as YPRR.
Air Yards Per Game
46.9
 
Air Yards Per Snap
1.75
 
% Team Air Yards
13.7%
 
% Team Targets
11.1%
 
Avg Depth of Target
9.9 Yds
 
Catch Rate
51.7%
 
Drop Rate
3.4%
 
Avg Yds After Catch
3.0
 
% Targeted On Route
22.1%
 
Avg Yds Per Route Run
1.36
 
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Cleveland BrownsBrowns 2024 WR Snap Distribution
See more data like this | See last season's snap counts
J.Jerry Jeudy
E.Elijah Moore
C.Cedric Tillman
A.Amari Cooper
M.Michael Woods
J.Jamari Thrash
J.Jaelon Darden
J.James Proche
K.Kadarius Toney
K.Kaden Davis
D.David Bell
#% of Team Snaps
100690%
85076%
40937%
32429%
29126%
13612%
202%
161%
151%
141%
91%
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#3 WR
Cleveland BrownsBrowns
  1. Jerry Jeudy
  2. Cedric Tillman
  3. Diontae Johnson
  4. David BellQues
  5. Jamari Thrash
  6. Michael Woods
  7. DeAndre Carter
  8. Kaden Davis
  9. Jaelen Gill
  10. Luke Floriea
  11. Gage Larvadain
  12. Kisean Johnson
  13. Cade McDonald
Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where Diontae Johnson lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
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2024 Diontae Johnson Split Stats
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Measurables Review View College Player Page
How do Diontae Johnson's measurables compare to other wide receivers?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
Height
5' 10"
 
Weight
183 lbs
 
40-Yard Dash
4.53 sec
 
Shuttle Time
4.45 sec
 
Cone Drill
7.09 sec
 
Vertical Jump
33.5 in
 
Broad Jump
123 in
 
Bench Press
15 reps
 
Hand Length
9.00 in
 
Arm Length
30.75 in
 
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Johnson is off to Carolina to help resurrect 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, following a five-year stint in Pittsburgh that was mostly marked by tons of volume and bottom-of-the-barrel efficiency. Neither big (5-10, 183), nor fast (4.53 40), the 2019 third-round pick nonetheless was quick to make an impression in Pittsburgh, using his impressive agility and acceleration to get open on short routes and pick up yards after the catch. Johnson led the team in targets each of his first four seasons, with 92 as a rookie (59-680-5) and then more than 140 each of the next three years (88-923-7 / 107-1,161-8 / 86/882/0). His disastrous efficiency in 2022 (6.0 YPT, zero TDs on 147 targets) was followed by lesser volume and improved efficiency in 2023 (8.2 YPT, five TDs on 87 targets in 13 games), making it a bounce-back season of sorts even if Johnson didn't help fantasy managers. The look of Carolina's roster heading into the 2024 Draft gives Johnson a chance to get back to the type of volume that all but ensures fantasy relevance, albeit in an offense that may be just as bad as what he dealt with in Pittsburgh (or even worse). The Panthers don't have a TE with any significant track record as a pass catcher, and their only WR that's ever made fantasy noise is Adam Thielen, who put up huge numbers over the first eight weeks last year but then averaged just 43.3 yards over the final nine game (and now will turn 34 in August). It seems the team is heavily counting on Johnson, which didn't really work out for the Steelers but did lead to the one big fantasy year in 2021.
Johnson set a new standard for the high-volume, low-efficiency receiving season last year, finishing with 86 catches for 882 yards and nary a touchdown on 147 targets. Even in an offense with miserable quarterback play, it's the type of performance that leads to serious concern about his future (including the workload). Johnson has always been elusive and tricky to tackle, but drops have been a recurring theme and he's neither big (5-10, 183) nor fast (4.53 40) by NFL standards. On the other hand, he was an extremely productive fantasy player as recently as 2021 (107-1,161-8) and the Steelers only have WR George Pickens and TE Pat Freiermuth as serious target competition. Should second-year QB Kenny Pickett improve, Johnson would presumably be one of the prime beneficiaries even if the target volume takes a necessary step back.
Johnson is on the small side for an NFL wideout, and while he perhaps plays a bit faster than his 4.53 40 time from the 2016 Combine suggests, he won't be mistaken for a burner anytime soon. No matter, the Steelers have peppered him with targets, and it's hard to fault them when you see how easily Johnson gets open on short routes and the way he puts defenders on skates once the ball is in his hands. The big concern in 2020 was drops, with 13 a league high and ultimately costing him a 1,000-yard season. Last year, Johnson cut the drops (five) and surpassed 1,000 yards with relative ease, though it required a boatload of targets (169, t-2nd) in an offense with poor blocking and a washed-up version of Ben Roethlisberger. While it's not hard to imagine even better numbers in the future, Johnson's drawbacks for 2022 sound awfully similar to 2021. Mitch Trubisky or rookie Kenny Pickett might prove better than late-stage Roethlisberger, but probably not by much, and the O-line landed just one clear upgrade in the offseason (RG James Daniels). Then again, those weaknesses might work in Johnson's favor when it comes to volume. As much as the Steelers hope for breakthroughs from Pickett, Chase Claypool and rookie wideout George Pickens, there's also a chance they end up overly reliant on short throws again, in which case Johnson, TE Pat Freiermuth and RB Najee Harris would stay well fed.
Johnson had one of the stranger seasons in recent memory. While he missed only one game, he was benched in others for drops and also got injured early in Week 5. Johnson wound up leading the NFL with a whopping 15 drops, yet still managed 144 targets on a team with two other viable WR options. Johnson’s per-play numbers (10.5 YPC and 6.4 YPT) were among the league’s lowest, partly due to drops, but mostly because the Steelers ran a bizarre, pass-heavy offense based heavily on short throws. While teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster finished 35th in aDOT at 5.6 yards, Johnson was 30th at 8.0. At 5-10, 183, Johnson is small, and his timed speed (4.53 40) is below average for a player his size. But put him in a uniform, and he looks like another small, poor-40-timed former Steelers receiver, Antonio Brown. Like Brown, Johnson’s quickness and burst jumps off the screen, and he even hauled in four catches of 40-plus yards last year despite the low aDOT. Of course, Johnson’s focus needs to improve — 15 drops is off-the-charts high, especially for a player catching passes at close range — and coach Mike Tomlin’s tolerance is not infinite. Moreover, Ben Roethlisberger looked shaky last year, and it’s unclear whether he will regain his former arm strength. That said, Johnson is one of the quickest wideouts in the league, so even with Smith-Schuster re-signing and second-year man Chase Claypool around, he should see plenty of work.
A third-round pick in 2019, Johnson saw regular snaps once JuJu Smith-Schuster got hurt and more than held his own under the circumstances. While his per-play numbers were pedestrian - 11.5 YPC, 7.4 YPT - Johnson was paired with two of the league's worst quarterbacks, yet still managed to score five touchdowns and catch two passes for 40-plus yards on 92 targets, mostly lining up outside. At 5-10, 183, and with a below-average 40 time (4.53), he has about the same physical specs as Antonio Brown, and like Brown, Johnson is quick and explosive. The Steelers have been wizards at developing smaller young receivers - from Santonio Holmes to Mike Wallace to Brown to Emmanuel Sanders - and Johnson could be the next in line, especially with Ben Roethlisberger healthy again. But Smith-Schuster, who already has Roethlisberger's trust, should be the clear No. 1, and Johnson will compete with 2018 second-round pick James Washington, 2020 second-round pick Chase Claypool and tight ends Vance McDonald and Eric Ebron for second fiddle. Johnson had sports hernia surgery after the season but is expected to make a full recovery for the start of training camp.
Despite a poor performance at the Combine, Johnson has the tools to make an impact with the Steelers as a depth receiver/returner. He actually had a faster time in the forty (4.53) than Antonio Brown (4.56) and is now in line to compete with Eli Rogers and Ryan Switzer for slot work. He could also add value on special teams, having led the nation in punt return average (19.9) at the collegiate level the past two years, while scoring four times on kick or punt returns.
More Fantasy News
Back in Baltimore
WRBaltimore Ravens
January 15, 2025
The Ravens claimed Johnson off waivers from the Texans on Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
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Cut by Houston
WRFree Agent
January 14, 2025
The Texans waived Johnson on Tuesday.
ANALYSIS
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One grab in playoff win
WRHouston Texans
January 12, 2025
Johnson caught his lone target for 12 yards in Saturday's 32-12 win over the Chargers in the wild-card round.
ANALYSIS
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Two catches in team debut
WRHouston Texans
January 6, 2025
Johnson caught two of four targets for 12 yards in Sunday's 23-14 win over the Titans.
ANALYSIS
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Expected to play this week
WRHouston Texans
January 1, 2025
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said Wednesday that Johnson will play in Sunday's game against the Titans, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Favorite to win slot job
WRCleveland Browns
June 17, 2025
Johnson is currently the favorite to win the slot receiver role for Cleveland, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Johnson is a proven contributor, but he had a tumultuous 2024 season and managed only 33 receptions while playing for three different teams. He landed in a relatively fortuitous situation with the Browns, who lack depth in their wide receiver corps behind Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman. Johnson could be in for something of a bounce-back season as a result, though Cleveland could also use plenty of sets with only two wide receivers on the field if rookie tight end Harold Fannin emerges as an effective complement to David Njoku.
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