The Texans have become the third team to part ways with veteran wideout Diontae Johnson, whose time in Houston lasted just two games.
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In a stunning move Tuesday, the Houston Texans waived wide receiver Diontae Johnson just three weeks after claiming him.
They also placed tight end Cade Stover on injured reserve.
Johnson played in only two games with the Texans, including Saturday’s AFC wild-card playoff win against the Chargers.
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It was always going to be difficult to fit Johnson into a lineup with two games left in the regular season when they acquired him. He didn’t have on-field chemistry with quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Other players were also ahead of him on the depth chart. And Johnson needed to learn the playbook in a short time. But he seemed willing to make that happen, saying in his first media availability that he was a team player.
“Everybody is about the team,” Johnson said. “I’m about the team, too. I’m doing whatever the coaches ask me to do, special teams, punt return, if I play a couple plays here and there. Just contribute in some sort of way, that’s all I’m really worried about.”
But after the Texans’ win over the Chargers, Johnson — who was fully dressed — stayed behind. He was seen in the locker room pouting, presumably because he wasn’t as involved in the offense, while everyone else was celebrating.
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Johnson had just one catch for 12 yards against the Chargers.
Several of the team’s leaders, including linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who has known Johnson since elementary school, and running back Joe Mixon, were seen trying to talk to him with media present.
In the end, it wasn’t the right fit.
This is the fourth time a team has moved on from Johnson in less than a year. The Pittsburgh Steelers first traded him in the offseason to the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers then traded Johnson after seven games to the Baltimore Ravens because, as one league source with knowledge of his time in Carolina told the Chronicle, “he couldn’t get out of his own way.”
And the Ravens, who had him for seven weeks after that, first suspended him then waived him last month after he refused to enter a game, reportedly frustrated by his lack of involvement in the offense. The Texans then claimed him before their Christmas game against Baltimore.
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The Texans now have two open spots on their roster. They’ll likely bring up tight end Teagan Quitoriano, who practiced last week and is eligible to come of the injured reserve, for one of the spots. The other is up in the air.
The Texans chose to bring Johnson in after wide receiver Tank Dell suffered a significant knee injury last month. They initially liked his route running ability and how he separated from defenders.
But after two games, and little involvement, Houston moved on.
