4 ‘cheap’ free agent cornerbacks the Cleveland Browns could target
By Josh Brown
2. Kevin Johnson
While Kevin Johnson struggled a bit last season, he was working against the grain for most of 2020. He signed a one-year deal with a new team, lacerated his liver, giving him essentially no offseason, and has very little practice most of the year to get comfortable with his teammates. This is still the player that had a strong season with the Bills in 2019. Mulligan anyone?
The advanced numbers from PFR in 2020 are similar to his 2019 season. He gave up a completion rate of 61.4 percent in 2020 compared to 59.1 in 2019 but gave up a touchdown, which raised the quarterback rating against him from 79.8 to 92.0. He still had three passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
Considering he played 336 snaps for Buffalo two seasons ago compared to 576 last year, that is not bad. He can play in the slot or outside and knows the system. Fully healthy, and with an offseason under his belt, Johnson could be the player the Browns thought they were getting in 2020.
If the Browns can get him back down to 300-400 snaps against the opposition’s second-tier weapons, Johnson could return to his Buffalo form in 2021. At the very least, the Browns get a veteran they know and should be able to use effectively. Sometimes a cheap option that the front office knows is all that is needed.
Contract prediction: Similar to last year at one year, $3-4 million with