3 mid-level Cleveland Browns who need to play better
By Greg Newland
No. 1 – John Johnson, Safety
John Johnson was a guy brought in to lead this secondary. He isn’t necessarily an elite talent, but he certainly has a leadership trait about him. His skill set is more suited to an in-the-box safety, but to this point, he has been asked to be a ball hawk which has been a bit of a struggle.
Not only is he playing slightly out of position, but he has also struggled in coverage and appears to be a part of several miscommunications that have haunted the Cleveland Browns secondary this season.
Last year at times Johnson really jumped off the tape flying around the field and making plays. This year, he sometimes feels like he isn’t on the field. He’s allowing easy catches and really struggling with tackling.
The Joe Woods scheme is built around elite safety play. Johnson, Grant Delpit, and Ronnie Harrison all have a lot of pressure on them to make this system work, and truthfully none of them have been great in 2022. Part of me wonders if the scheme is too complicated, but you can’t forget that Woods has had success everywhere he has been.
Johnson doesn’t have to be a pro-bowl caliber player for this defense to be elite, but he needs to button up communication, tighten up coverage, and make a few tackles in the open field.
