Ravens might’ve inexplicably made path to Super Bowl that much harder

Once the NFL trade deadline came and went, it felt as if the Baltimore Ravens made one of the savviest moves of them all, by acquiring Diontae Johnson from the Carolina Panthers. Not only did the Ravens get a much-needed WR2, but they gave up virtually nothing to get him. The fact that Johnson already had tons of experience in the AFC North with Baltimore's biggest rivals felt like the cherry on top.

Well, it turns out that the Johnson trade was arguably the worst deal of all. When on the field, Johnson was practically invisible, reeling in just one of his five targets over four games. The bigger issue, though, is that Johnson was rarely ever on the field while with the Ravens.

Of the four games he appeared in, he played in over 20 percent of the team's offensive snaps just once. He never appeared in over 30 percent of the team's offensive snaps. He was never targeted more than twice in a game. Most alarmingly, when asked to take the field in Baltimore's Week 13 game, Johnson refused.

As we all know, refusing to enter a game when asked, if healthy, is a cardinal sin. The reaction to Johnson refusing to play was predictable, and the Ravens wound up punishing him, suspending him for their Week 15 game.

Now, instead of welcoming Johnson back for the stretch run, the Ravens opted to release the wideout, giving the other 31 teams an opportunity to claim him off of waivers. That decision could come back to bite Baltimore in a big way, especially with the teams that ESPN's Adam Schefter notes could be potential landing spots.

Ravens might've gifted Diontae Johnson to AFC rivals

The Ravens might've gifted Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers some much-needed wide receiver help. Outside of rookie wideout Ladd McConkey, there really isn't anyone for Herbert to throw to. Johnson would change that. Yes, the Ravens did defeat Los Angeles earlier this season, but making the Chargers' offense better, combined with their already elite defense, could prove to be an issue for Baltimore in the playoffs if these teams were to meet.

Perhaps worst of all, though, is that the Ravens might've allowed Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to add another reliable weapon to the mix. Mahomes has had a down year by his standards, but the Chiefs are still 13-1, and we know that he always finds a way to turn it on when the lights are bright. Do the Ravens really want to give the Chiefs any help? The only saving grace here is that Johnson is probably unlikely to land in Kansas City as the Chiefs hold the last waiver position.

The biggest flaw of this Ravens team is their passing defense. The Ravens surrender 258.9 yards per game in the air, the second-most in the NFL. They might've allowed a team they'll inevitably face off against in the playoffs to add a player who can help expose their biggest weakness.

The clear solution here, if the Ravens didn't want him to play, was to do what the San Francisco 49ers did with De'Vondre Campbell and suspend him for the rest of the regular season. Doing this would've not only been a harsher punishment for Johnson but would've also ensured that he wouldn't have joined a team that can hurt the Ravens when it matters most.

Now, all the Ravens can do is cross their fingers and hope Johnson is claimed by a team on the outside looking in on the playoff picture or at least by an NFC foe. The last thing they should want is to see a player they just suspended and released facing off against them when their season is on the line.