OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The Baltimore Ravens waived disgruntled wide receiver Diontae Johnson on Friday, ending his drama-filled seven weeks with the team.

Johnson, who the Ravens acquired from the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 29, can be claimed by a team starting Monday at 4 p.m

Johnson’s time with the Ravens included 1 catch, 6 yards receiving, 39 snaps and plenty of frustration. He was suspended one game by Baltimore after refusing to play against the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 1, then was suspended from team activities last week.

His departure comes at a time when the Ravens could use him the most. Baltimore could be very thin on experienced wide receivers after Nelson Agholor (concussion) was ruled out and Rashod Bateman (foot) was listed as questionable for Saturday’s decisive AFC North game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The lack of proven depth at wide receiver led the Ravens to send a fifth-round pick for Johnson and a sixth-round pick to the Panthers. Johnson, who was the leading receiver for Carolina at the time, failed to gain significant playing time in four games for Baltimore and its third-largest passing attack in the league.

Johnson appeared in the 24-19 loss to the Eagles but decided not to play, the team said. The Ravens needed him because Bateman was sidelined in the second half of the game with a knee injury.

Three days later, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta announced that Johnson had been suspended for one game, describing the disciplinary action as a “difficult decision.” When the suspension ended, Baltimore said it was mutually decided that Johnson would be excluded from team activities this week.

Now the Ravens have moved on and completed one of the most puzzling trades in team history. Johnson was selected by the Steelers in the third round of the draft in 2019 and totaled 422 catches for 4,726 yards and 28 touchdowns for Pittsburgh, Carolina and Baltimore.

Baltimore is also dealing with other issues at wide receiver. There was hope that Agholor could be cleared from the concussion protocol for Saturday’s game. But on Friday, the Ravens downgraded their No. 3 wide receiver to out, an untimely loss for quarterback Lamar Jackson and the NFL’s top-ranked offense.

Baltimore could be without not only Agholor and Johnson, but also Bateman, who walked in the locker room wearing a protective boot on Thursday.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh declined to comment on Bateman’s status Thursday.

“I really have nothing to say about any of this,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll work through all of those things over the next few hours and even a few days, but we’ll be in good shape and ready to move on (Saturday).”

The Ravens’ only healthy wide receiver on the 53-man roster who has caught more than 10 passes this season is Zay Flowers, who leads Baltimore with 66 receptions for 916 yards. The other wide receivers are Tylan Wallace, who has 10 catches for 191 yards, and fourth-round rookie Devontez Walker, who made his first career catch Sunday – a 21-yard touchdown.

The Steelers will also not be at full strength at wide receiver. Pittsburgh ruled out leading receiver George Pickens (hamstring) for the third straight game.

Saturday’s game in Baltimore is the AFC North’s biggest game this season. If Pittsburgh (10-4) wins, the Steelers clinch their first division title since 2020. If Baltimore (9-5) wins, the Ravens will move level with the Steelers at the top of the AFC North and have a 45 percent chance of winning to conquer division. according to ESPN Analytics.