WR Diontae Johnson waived after two games with Texans

The Houston Texans waived wide receiver Diontae Johnson on Tuesday as they prepare for Saturday’s divisional playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

After the Texans’ wild-card playoff win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday, Johnson was visibly upset in the locker room. He was fully clothed as he sat by his locker, staring in frustration at a lack of playing time and goals. Running back Joe Mixon and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair tried to comfort and encourage him.

Johnson played just 15 of the Texans’ 70 offensive snaps and received just one target. He finished the game with one catch for 12 yards.

Johnson had three catches for 24 yards in two games with Houston after the Texans claimed Johnson off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens on December 23. Baltimore had moved on from the receiver after he refused to participate in a Dec. 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. .

Before the Ravens waived Johnson, they suspended him one game for his refusal to play against the Eagles. Baltimore had acquired him in a trade with the Carolina Panthers on October 29, but he played just 39 snaps for the team and caught one pass for 6 yards.

The Panthers acquired Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers before the season. He had 30 catches for 257 yards and three touchdowns for Carolina when he was dealt to the Ravens.

The Steelers drafted Johnson in the third round of the 2019 draft, and he had 391 catches for 4,363 yards and 25 touchdowns in Pittsburgh. He earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2021 with his lone 1,000-yard season and a career-high eight touchdown receptions in quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s senior year.

ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime contributed to this report.