Browns Part Ways With Veteran Wide Receiver On Cutdown Day

Diontae Johnson’s short tenure with the Cleveland Browns is over.

According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, Johnson was among the Browns cuts as they purged their roster ahead of the NFL’s Tuesday deadline.

Johnson signed a one-year, veteran-minimum contract with Cleveland in April after spending his first five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers then toggling between three teams in 2024. He had 33 catches for 375 yards and three touchdowns, primarily for the Carolina Panthers in 2024.

Why Did The Browns Cut Diontae Johnson?

Johnson, who played college ball nearby at Toledo, had just two catches on his six targets for 19 yards in the preseason. He had one catch for 12 yards in Cleveland’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams.

So Johnson’s NFL career may now be over, which is odd since it started out so promising with the Steelers. He was a second-team All-Pro in his rookie year and posted 85-plus catches and 875-plus yards over a three-year stretch between 2020-22.

But the shelf life of a receiver can be short, and Johnson has played himself into this position after a disastrous 2024 season. Johnson played for three teams, the Panthers, Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans, but was off-loaded by each after attitude issues marred his tenure.

Johnson admitted he refused to a enter a December game against the Philadelphia Eagles due to the cold — in a game where the temperature only reached the mid-40s, and which landed him a suspension and ultimately his release.

“End of the third going into the fourth, they were like, ‘Tae, we need you,'” Johnson said, according to USA Today. “I was like, ‘Nah, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me.’ Like, my legs are already ice cold and I didn’t wanna go out there and put bad stuff on film.”

He signed with the Texans, but they reportedly waived him for checking out mentally toward the tail end of 2024. Johnson said all the right things about trying to change the narrative but did little to show the Browns he was willing to commit to them — especially by skipping voluntary OTAs in the spring, even though Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski downplayed that decision.

So the fact the skill-deficient Browns, who could have used an elite route runner and cagey veteran to play the slot alongside No. 1 wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, released Johnson does not bode well for his future.

This is especially true after Johnson told ESPN the Browns were the only team to reach out to him while going through free agency.

Who Are The Browns’ Wide Receivers?

The Browns’ wide-receiver room is a mish-mash beyond Jeudy, especially with DeAndre Carter’s reported release and Isaiah Bond just getting up to speed.

So, the top-four wideouts for Joe Flacco are likely to be Jeudy, Bond, Cedric Tillman and Jamari Thrash, not necessarily in that order. Cleveland could elect to keep one of its undrafted free agents for special teams, as well.

The Browns seem likely to add a wide receiver after leaguewide cuts finish Tuesday, especially with David Bell on the non-football injury list with a hip injury.