The Houston Texans have waived Diontae Johnson ahead of their Divisional Round playoff matchup with the defending-champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Johnson was rather quiet on Sunday. The 28-year-old was targeted just once in the playoff win over the Los Angeles Chargers, recording a 12-yard catch.
The Texans were the third team to employ Johnson this season. A former star with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was traded to the Carolina Panthers in March before being dealt again to Baltimore in October.
Johnson was ultimately cut by the Ravens for refusing to enter a Week 13 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, which Baltimore lost. He would sign with Houston in late December, but managed just two catches on four targets in his lone regular-season appearance.
Johnson had been a productive receiver over five years in Pittsburgh and was among the most popular picks on FanDuel to score a touchdown in Houston on Saturday.
Ultimately fans were left dumbfounded as he went practically ignored on offense.
The Houston Texans have waived wide receiver Diontae Johnson (pictured) ahead of their Divisional Round playoff matchup with the defending-champion Kansas City Chiefs
Houston Texans receivers Tank Dell (L) and Stefon Diggs (R) arrived before a NFL playoff game
‘Bro how I let the books trick me into thinking Diontae Johnson was gonna get 2 catches in 60mins of football,’ one fan asked on X.
‘How do they keep tricking me into betting on Diontae Johnson,’ another asked, adding a laughing emoji.
A former third-round pick out of Toledo, Johnson became a major contributor in Pittsburgh, where he had five seasons of at least 50 catches and 680 yards. Johnson was at his best in 2021, making 107 grabs on 169 targets to record 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns.
He figured to me a contributor in Houston following the season-ending injuries of Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs, but Johnson is now a free agent once again.
The Texans still have productive receiver Nico Collins available, as well as veteran Robert Woods III and second-year pro John Metchie III.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs are dealing with some injuries on defense, where star interior lineman Christ Jones is listed as ‘questionable’ due to his lingering calf issue.
Fellow defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu was moved to the injured reserve on Friday with an undisclosed injury, while defensive backs Chamarri Conner and Jaylen Watson have both returned to practice, albeit on a limited basis.
