The Houston Texans, in need of help with Tank Dell’s season-ending knee injury, claimed wide receiver Diontae Johnson off waivers on Monday.
Early Monday morning, the team announced that Dell suffered a torn ACL and dislocated patella during Saturday’s game between the Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Los Angeles Chargers are the only other team to place Johnson on waivers, sources told ESPN’s Field Yates.
The Ravens waived Johnson on Friday, ending a drama-filled seven weeks with the team. The Ravens suspended him for one game after refusing to play in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 1, and he was subsequently excused from team activities last week.
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Baltimore acquired Johnson in a trade with the Carolina Panthers on October 29, but he played only 39 snaps with the team and caught one pass for 6 yards.
Meanwhile, the Ravens claimed wide receiver and kick returner Steven Sims off waivers from the Texans on Monday. Sims averaged 27.9 yards on seven kickoff returns and 6.2 yards on 16 punt returns this season.
The Texans will host the Ravens on Christmas Day.
The Texans lost Stefon Diggs to a torn ACL earlier this season, and were even short on receivers beyond star wideout Nico Collins. John Metchie III, Robert Woods and Xavier Hutchinson are also deep receivers for the Texans.
The Panthers acquired Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers before the season. When he joined the Ravens, he had 30 catches for 257 yards and three touchdowns in Carolina.
Johnson, selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 2019 draft, had 391 catches for 4,363 yards and 25 touchdowns with Pittsburgh. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s final year included his only 1,000-yard season and a career-high eight receiving touchdowns, earning him a Pro Bowl selection in 2021.
He will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
