Is there room for second chances in Cleveland?
The Browns may have to hope so if Diontae Johnson doesn’t get his act together.
A former Pro Bowler, Johnson is hanging on by a thread in the NFL after he revealed Cleveland was the only team that called him in free agency. While Johnson has all the talent to be a productive receiver, a pattern of behavior and displeasure with not being used enough has led to some concerns.
After the Pittsburgh Steelers traded Johnson to the Carolina Panthers in 2024, Johnson’s frustrations with his target share led to the former third-rounder requesting trades and his release. The pattern continued as he landed with two more teams in a single calendar year in the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans — neither of which decided to re-sign him in the offseason.
Johnson admitted his turbulent 2024 season and lack of a market in free agency have humbled him. But if he cannot change his ways, the Browns could phone an old friend.
NFL-TR’s Logan Ulrich considered the Browns a potential candidate to reunite with five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper after Cleveland traded him to the Buffalo Bills in October last year.
“Considering how shallow the Browns are at receiver right now, a return to Cleveland for Cooper has to be mentioned. He was successful for the team as recently as 2023 and knows the system well,” Ulrich wrote on June 26. “He also has a rapport with veteran QB Joe Flacco, who was the one throwing him the ball when the Browns went on a run that season and is the current favorite to open the season as a starter.”
It would be an awkward reunion of sorts, considering the Browns traded Cooper away less than a year ago.
However, stranger things have happened in the NFL, and the decision was seemingly just business as Cleveland was tanking and had an opportunity to accumulate draft capital.
Diontae Johnson ‘Pitched a Fit’ in Texans Locker Room, Warned of His Last Chance in Cleveland
While bouncing between three teams in a single season was trying for Johnson, last year was a breaking point for issues that have lingered with the young receiver.
Johnson had a history of toxicity in Pittsburgh, leading the Steelers to trade him away in the final year of his contract.
Those problems followed him even after Carolina. In Baltimore, Johnson was scrutinized for not playing due to it being too cold to play. In Houston, he “pitched a fit in the locker room” due to his lack of involvement in the Texans’ playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reported.
Cabot argued that while Johnson has admitted that he is humbled, those words better not be empty or he could find himself without a job.
“He has to come in here, and he has to really take the coaching. He has to be a good teammate. He can’t be complaining that Cedric Tillman is ahead of him,” Cabot said on the “Orange and Brown Talk” podcast. “Just don’t be a jerk. That’s the assignment. Do not be a jerk.
“If that happens and he does not handle it well, there’s a good chance that he will be out of ball forever, or at least for a long time until somebody dusts him off somewhere down the road,” Cabot added.
Amari Cooper Coming off Pro Bowl Year With Browns
GettyAmari Cooper of the Cleveland Browns.
While Cooper is officially over the hill at 30 years old, the former No. 4 overall pick had a Pro Bowl season just two years ago with four different quarterbacks throwing him the ball.
In 2023, Cooper caught 72 passes for 1,250 yards and 5 touchdowns while sitting out a meaningless regular-season finale.
While Cooper remains unsigned, he clearly still has value in the NFL, with the Bills giving up a third-round pick to acquire him.
If Flacco emerges as the No. 1 quarterback coming out of training camp, Cooper’s chemistry with him may be a necessary calling card Cleveland can go to with other questionable pass-catching options elsewhere.
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