Veteran wide receiver Diontae Johnson had a whirlwind 2024 season, which saw him play with the Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens, and Houston Texans. Johnson didn’t have a long stint with the Texans, who claimed him off waivers from the Ravens in late December.
Therefore, Johnson needs to do everything in his power to show the Browns that he’s ready to compete in 2025. The first step is OTAs, which opened up this week for Cleveland. But the vet was nowhere to be found on Wednesday.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters on Wednesday that Johnson was among the players not at the voluntary OTA. However, Stefanski emphasized that OTAs are voluntary.
Even though Stefanski is right in what he’s saying, the optics still don’t look good for the veteran wide receiver who struggled to stay on one team in 2024.
Johnson had solid numbers with the Panthers, posting 30 receptions (58 targets) for 357 yards and three touchdowns. However, the Panthers still parted ways with Johnson, who got two additional chances with the Ravens and Texans to rebuild his value.
Johnson appeared in two games with the Texans, including the AFC wild card game against the Los Angeles Chargers, and was released a few days later. A month later, the veteran wide receiver was claimed off waivers by the Ravens.
However, the Ravens didn’t keep Johnson, as he became a free agent in March and didn’t land his new opportunity until earlier this month with the Browns. The former Texan signed a one-year deal with Cleveland for the veteran’s minimum, which proves how much his stock and value have gone down across the league.
That said, we’ll see if Johnson shows up to OTAs as the Browns will have another practice on Friday and at the top of June. If he can’t make it work with the them, the former Texan will be in trouble.