Browns Roster: 5 veterans who could be pushed off roster by 2021 draft picks
By Sam Penix
2. D’Ernest Johnson
D’Ernest Johnson deserves to be on an NFL roster, and could probably function as a solid RB2 for many teams, just not the Browns.
Beyond Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt eating up all the available carries (a number which should decrease as the passing attack evolves), the team took Demetric Felton in the sixth round out of UCAL, a player who makes Johnson entirely expendable.
Johnson returns kicks, but so does Felton. Felton is younger and much more versatile, with experience as both a running back and a receiver. He offers way more out of the backfield, and has also been practicing with the receivers this offseason; that’s what he did at the Senior Bowl, and looked fantastic in one-on-ones. Johnson has a great story and is a good player who will be in the league for a few more seasons still, but there’s just no room for him on the Browns anymore.
He provides nothing that Felton can’t, and doesn’t have the quickness or agility that the rookie possesses. Johnson will likely be claimed off waivers by a team with nowhere near the depth at RB that Cleveland has, and should get more than the 33 carries he received last season.