The Carolina Panthers (1-6) suffered their fourth straight loss and sixth of the season in Week 7 to the Washington Commanders (5-2) in Week 7.
The Panthers never really got anything going on offense in the 40-7 loss, which was a bit surprising since the Commanders are allowing 329.1 total yards per game and 21.7 points per game.
Carolina's leading receiver on the day was fourth-round rookie tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders, who had six catches for 61 yards. That distinction has typically belonged to wide receiver Diontae Johnson, who has a team-leading 30 receptions for 357 yards and three touchdowns on the season, but that wasn't the case on Sunday.
The 28-year-old was only able to reel in one catch on three targets for 17 yards, and it's safe to say he wasn't happy.
"Frustrated, but I can't play every position on the field and make every play," Johnson said via Joe Person of The Athletic. "Everybody gotta do their job, when it comes down to it. Yeah, it's tough, but I just tell myself to keep going regardless."
Many were unsure if Johnson was even going to suit up in Week 7 after he was given a questionable tag while dealing with multiple injuries. So maybe the Panthers wanted to limit his exposure. Johnson only played 70 percent of the snaps, which was his second-lowest on the season behind Week 1 (66 percent).
Whether that was the case or not, Johnson is clearly unhappy. That has many believing he could be traded before the Nov. 5 trade deadline.
Head coach Dave Canales said earlier in October that he didn’t expect the team to trade Johnson.
"My job is to do the best thing, to put the best 11 guys out there," Canales said via David Newton of ESPN. "We love the guys that are developing in the progression that we have, so I don't see that happening."
However, Carolina has lost three straight games since. If its losing streak continues in Week 8 against the Denver Broncos (4-3), Canales may grow more open to the idea.
Johnson's postgame comments suggest he would welcome a fresh start elsewhere. If the Panthers agree, he should have several suitors.
Johnson has 421 catches for 4,720 yards and 28 touchdowns in his six-year NFL career.
