The Cleveland Browns need everyone pulling in the same direction to ensure that 2024’s disastrous 3-14 campaign gets left in the rearview mirror without becoming a trend.
With so many new faces at key positions on the roster, OTAs are always an important place to establish an early rapport and set the stage for a strong season ahead, which is why one insider recently called out one of the Browns’ new veterans for missing them.
Cleveland.com Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot recently stopped by the ‘Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show’ to discuss her takeaways from OTAs, and she called out veteran wide receiver Diontae Johnson for skipping OTAs.
“One player that I was very intrigued to see on Wednesday, and he happened to not be there, was Diontae Johnson. He’s a Pro Bowler and he runs amazing routes, and this is kind of his last chance to prove that he belongs here in the NFL because so many teams gave up on him last year. If he can be there, he should be there, because he has a lot to prove to the Browns, to himself, to everybody in the NFL.”
Johnson split last season with the Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, and Baltimore Ravens, and he posted the worst numbers of his career with just 33 catches for 375 yards and three touchdowns combined across those three organizations.
His character has come into question, particularly after the Ravens waived him last season after he refused to go into a game, and OTAs would be a good chance for him to get a fresh start with a new team.
Cabot is right in saying this could be it for Johnson if he doesn’t deliver in Cleveland this year, and the Browns could use a guy like him after losing Elijah Moore.
It’s unclear who the starting quarterback is going to be, but whoever it is, they will need plenty of help from this WR room, and that includes Johnson.
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