Wide receiver is a position where the Browns desperately need help. They didn’t address it in the draft, but they’re at least looking at options post-draft.
One such option visited the Browns, per the NFL’s transaction wire. Well-traveled Diontae Johnson was in Berea on Monday, although no deal was immediately completed.
Johnson, 28, has played six years in the league. However, after spending the first five years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who selected him in the third round of the 2019 draft out of the University of Toledo, he bounced around the league in 2024.
The Browns have Jerry Jeudy returning after a 90-catch, 1,445-yard Pro Bowl season in 2024, his first in Cleveland after being acquired in a trade with the Denver Broncos. Their second-leading receiver in 2024 — Elijah Moore, with 61 catches for 538 yards and a touchdown — was visiting the Buffalo Bills on Monday as an unrestricted free agent.
After Jeudy, the next-highest wide receiver in either receptions or yards was Cedric Tillman. Tillman, who missed the final six games due to a concussion, had 29 catches on 49 targets for 339 yards and three touchdowns.
Last season, Johnson started with the Carolina Panthers, who acquired him and a 2024 seventh-round pick in a March trade with the Steelers in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick and Donte Jackson. He was traded, along with a 2025 sixth-round pick, after seven games played with the Panthers on Oct. 29 last season to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2025 fifth-round pick.
The Ravens waived Johnson after four games played on Dec. 20, and he was claimed by the Houston Texans on Dec. 23. He played in one regular-season and one playoff game for the Texans before they waived him in January.
Johnson finished the season with a combined 33 catches on 67 targets for 375 yards and three touchdowns in 12 regular-season games. He started eight of those 12 games.
For Johnson’s NFL career, he’s caught 424 passes for 4,738 yards and 28 touchdowns on 706 targets. He’s played in 89 games with 75 starts.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ