WR Diontae Johnson looking for 'fresh start' with Texans

HOUSTON -- Diontae Johnson is leaving his tenure with the Baltimore Ravens in the rearview mirror and is looking forward to a fresh start with the Houston Texans.

"I'm going to leave that in the past. Fresh start here," Johnson told reporters on Monday. "I had a good time there. I got some good teammates over there. Those relationships are still going to be there. I'm trying to win games and go far in the playoff."

This is the third team this season for the 2021 Pro Bowl wide receiver after Houston claimed him last week, needing receiver help after Tank Dell suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 16.

Johnson joined the Texans (9-7) following a bizarre stint with the Ravens when he was suspended for one game after he refused to play in a Dec. 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13. Then in Week 15, the Ravens excused Johnson from team activities on Dec. 16 days before releasing him on Dec. 20.

Johnson started the season on the Carolina Panthers, but on Oct. 29, the Ravens acquired Johnson and a sixth-round pick from the Panthers for a fifth-round selection. Johnson was the Panthers' leading receiver at the time. He was traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers during the offseason to the Panthers. Johnson had 30 catches for 257 yards and three touchdowns for Carolina when he was traded to Baltimore and had only one catch for 6 yards for the Ravens.

The Texans claimed Johnson because they were thin at receiver beyond star wideout Nico Collins -- being without Stefon Diggs, who tore his ACL earlier this season, and Dell. The only options on the active roster were John Metchie III, Robert Woods, Jared Wayne and Xavier Hutchinson.

Coach DeMeco Ryans isn't worried about Johnson's disgruntled history and is giving him a "clean slate."

"With Diontae, adding him to our team, he's a guy who has talent. He's done it at a high level," Ryans said. "He's bounced around a little bit here. It really doesn't matter what's happened in the past, or what the narrative is about. You come here and everything is a fresh start. So we'll see how he can help us, what he can add to our team on the field and off the field."

Johnson has been with the team for only a week, but says he has already sensed the culture that Ryans has instilled.

"Team first," Johnson said. "Everybody is about the team, I'm about the team too. So I'm doing whatever the coach is asking me to do."

The Texans have already clinched the AFC South and are locked into the 4-seed in the AFC playoff picture. The hope is Johnson can provide a spark for a playoff team looking to make a deep run in the postseason.br/]