No one has seen him play for the Cleveland Browns yet, but that hasn’t stopped people from grading the signing of Zion Johnson. Andrew Berry’s move to get Johnson has started a lot of conversations, with plenty of people excited and plenty of others unsure of how well he’ll play.
Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic summed up the Johnson acquisition, calling it the “most interesting move” of the offseason so far. But just because something is interesting doesn’t mean it’ll be worthwhile.
Questions and concerns about Johnson remain.
“Most interesting move: Signing guard Zion Johnson to a three-year, $49.5 million deal to be an anchor in this new-look offensive line,” Rodrigue wrote.
The most positive thing about Johnson is his versatility. He just spent four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers and filled the role of left guard most of the time. That being said, he can play either side of the line and has experience with different roles.
Therefore, Johnson appears to be someone who can fit into multiple slots with ease. That bodes well for the team’s offense.
Johnson has also been praised for being a good run blocker. On top of that, he is still young, which means he still has time to get even better.
There are worries about Johnson’s pass-blocking abilities, and he ranked as one of the worst guards when it came to that skill last season. And others aren’t sure if Johnson was worth the $49.5 million he received from Cleveland. There are already certain people calling him an overpay, even though he hasn’t taken to the field yet.
He could go either way with the Browns. However, if he is able to build upon the skills he’s already shown and remain healthy, there is every reason to believe he could bolster the team’s offense in a huge way.
Right now, Johnson is being called “interesting.” By this time next year, he could be referred to as “invaluable.”
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