Six 2020 Cleveland Browns starters, not on the roster in 2021
By Greg Newland
![Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (65) is congratulated by Browns defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson (98) after sacking Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020, in Cleveland, Ohio. [Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal]Browns 3](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fhttps-3A-2F-2Fdawgpounddaily-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fimagn-images-2F2018-2F08-2F15460462-850x560-260b84255e5dca4bfc443e0be99544dfa9a41f2a1074ac3b9207e3c4df96e18b.jpg "Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (65) is congratulated by Browns defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson (98) after sacking Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020, in Cleveland, Ohio. [Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal]Browns 3")
The Cleveland Browns won a playoff game in 2020, however, their roster has been completely rebuilt on defense. Check out these six starters who will be gone
As with any team in the NFL, the Cleveland Browns will look to have a lot of new starters in 2021. General Manager, Andrew Berry, has continued to be aggressive in free agency and has also drafted extremely well, which has allowed the Browns to stay young.
2021 will be one of the more difficult salary cap years in recent history. With limited income because of COVID-19 in 2020, the cap went down. This was a huge constraint for some teams, and even the Browns have distributed contract money five-plus years on a three-year deal.
While this was a necessary evil to continue to add talent, this could be a huge concern down the road as the team has multiple young talents to consider resigning to extensions like Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, and Nick Chubb.
Berry has shown extreme discipline on spending, so it shouldn’t be as big of an issue for the Browns as it could for other teams in the league. However, there will still be at least 6 starters from the 2020 playoff team that won’t even be on the roster in 2021. Spoiler alert, they’re all on the defensive side of the ball.
Kevin Johnson – Nickelback
The former first-round pick from Wake Forest, Kevin Johnson, came to the Cleveland Browns on a one-year prove-it deal, and unfortunately, not enough was proven to keep him around.
While he only missed three games, the production just wasn’t what was expected. He was an average nickel corner, but nothing special. I would not have been shocked to see the Browns bring him back, but the addition of Troy Hill will be a huge upgrade in 2021.