Diontae Johnson is a Raven again. No, that’s not a typo.

The 28-year-old wide receiver, who was released by both the Ravens and Houston Texans in a matter of weeks after being frustrated by a lack of involvement in the offense on both teams, was claimed off waivers Wednesday by Baltimore in what is considered a procedural reunion.

Johnson is not eligible to join the Ravens until Monday, Feb. 10, one business day after the Super Bowl — whether Baltimore plays for the Lombardi Trophy or not. But he qualifies as an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and if he signs with another team, he’ll likely yield a compensatory pick for Ravens in the 2026 NFL draft.

It’s unlikely that Johnson, who is ineligible to play this postseason, physically returns to Owings Mills.

The move — as bizarre as it is — could benefit the Ravens in the offseason. But any return on investment hinges on another team giving a contract to a player who suited up for four teams in one calendar year and was released by the latter two. Baltimore suspended the one-time Pro Bowl selection for “conduct detrimental to the team” in December after he refused to enter an eventual 24-19 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at M&T Bank Stadium, and he was later excused from team activities before being released.

Johnson, a 2019 third-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers, caught one pass during his two-month stint in Baltimore after the Ravens acquired him before the trade deadline from the Carolina Panthers in a swap of late-round draft picks. He caught three more in a pair of games with the Texans, including one in Saturday’s wild-card win over the Los Angeles Chargers, but was reportedly upset in the locker room after the game.

“With Diontae, unfortunately it didn’t work out and we’re on to the Chiefs,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Tuesday.

Johnson will not be filling Baltimore’s potential wide receiver void should Zay Flowers (knee) be unavailable for Sunday night’s AFC divisional round game against the Buffalo Bills. But if another team scoops Johnson up after the season, maybe the Ravens get something out of the deal.

WR Flowers misses practice

Flowers missed practice again Wednesday as he continued rehabilitating a knee injury that could keep him out of Sunday’s game.

The team’s top pass catcher, who also did not practice last week after he hurt his knee in the Ravens’ regular-season finale, was the only player missing from the indoor session. Returner Deonte Harty, still working his way back from a knee injury, was listed as a full participant on the team’s first injury report of the week.

Coach John Harbaugh has said Flowers could play against the Bills even if he does not practice all week.

“That’s in ‘we’ll see mode,’” Harbaugh said Monday. “He is working hard to get back, and we’ll see toward the end of the week if he’s practicing. And he can play without practicing, for sure, if he feels healthy enough and if it’s safe for him.”

The Ravens rolled up 464 yards of offense, 299 of those on the ground, without their No. 1 wide receiver in their wild-card-round win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman and tight end Isaiah Likely would be the leading candidates to play bigger roles in the team’s passing game if Flowers cannot go in Buffalo. Wide receivers Tylan Wallace, Nelson Agholor and Anthony Miller also caught passes against Pittsburgh.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson said it’s a “huge challenge” for the Ravens to operate without Flowers “but we’ve got guys who are locked in and ready to step up to the plate for us.”

For the Bills, sixth offensive lineman Alec Anderson (calf) and reserve running back Ray Davis (concussion) were listed as limited participants Wednesday.

QB Brown signs with Bills

When asked about how the Bills can prepare for Jackson in practice, coach Sean McDermott could only chuckle.

“There’s only one Lamar Jackson,” the eighth-year coach and former defensive coordinator said. “You do the best you can to try and simulate it. Good luck.”

McDermott initially laughed off the idea that safety Micah Hyde, a star dual-threat quarterback at Fostoria High School in Ohio, could serve as the scout team signal-caller. But the real answer came Wednesday, when the Bills signed former Ravens quarterback Anthony Brown to their practice squad.

Brown was a dual-threat star in college, passing for 7,891 yards and 61 touchdowns and rushing for 1,121 yards and 15 scores in five combined seasons at Boston College and Oregon. He signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2022 to back up Jackson and Tyler Huntley and ended up making a surprise start at the end of the season. After Jackson injured his knee in early December and Huntley was ruled out with wrist and shoulder injuries, Brown was elevated to play a Week 18 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. With Baltimore resting some key starters ahead of a playoff game the following weekend, Brown completed 19 of 44 passes for 286 yards with two interceptions and a fumble in a 27-16 loss.

In bringing back the 6-foot-1, 223-pound Brown, who spent a week with the Bills during training camp in August, McDermott has someone who can at least give the defense the threat of both the run and the pass in practice.

Baltimore Sun reporter Childs Walker and sports editor C.J. Doon contributed to this article.

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