The Cleveland Browns rolled the dice on Diontae Johnson.
His most recent experience in the league wasn’t encouraging, and it wasn’t just because of the numbers.
He burned some bridges with his character and tantrums, and the fact that no one signed him until after the NFL Draft spoke volumes about how he was seen around the league.
That’s why he’s not even a lock to be the team’s WR2 or WR3.
At least, that’s how Bill Barnwell of ESPN feels.
In his latest column, he talked about Johnson as a ‘luxury player,’ predicting that he might fall to WR4 in the Browns’ depth chart, and stating that he will have to do the dirty work to get on the field:
“There are certainly bigger names who might fall fourth on a depth chart at wide receiver, such as Diontae Johnson (Browns) or Demarcus Robinson (49ers), but this is a spot where receivers are expected to do more than catch passes. Teams need their fourth and fifth wideouts to block in the run and screen games and still make an impact as a pass catcher when their number is called or when the top guys aren’t on the field,” Barnwell wrote.
That would be the best-case scenario for the Browns.
That would mean that young and promising players like Cedric Tillman and Jamari Thrash stepped up.
Then again, given Johnson’s long and well-documented history of power struggles and diva-like behavior, he might not be interested in that kind of role at all.
Still, with how things have transpired with him over the past couple of years or so, he might not have much of a choice.
This may be his final chance to stay in the league, and he will have to prove that he wants it.
The Browns signed him as a low-risk/high-reward pickup.
And if he’s not willing to take one for the team, they can simply release him and move on with their lives.
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