4 Cleveland Browns who have offered almost nothing in 2022
By Greg Newland
No. 3 – John Johnson III, Safety
While the defensive line on the interior for the Cleveland Browns is a mess, it hasn’t been much better in the secondary. At least the major miscommunications have stopped, but there are still no forced turnovers or incomplete passes that are being forced.
John Johnson III continues to be one of the most puzzling players on this roster. He had a borderline elite spell while playing with the L.A. Rams which got him his big contract in Cleveland, but we have not seen any signs of that player since.
Johnson has recently been the green dot (communicator and play caller) on defense, but I think it’s only because they are so depleted at linebacker. Johnson is a better in-the-box safety, but with Ronnie Harrison and Grant Delpit filling that role, he’s asked to be the deep ball hawker.
Not only does it feel like he’s constantly torched in coverage, but he is also struggling to tackle, and we are seeing more and more lackluster effort. I’m not sure if Johnson is not bought into the Joe Woods defense, but he certainly isn’t giving us enough production for what he’s being paid.
Johnson has an unfriendly contract with multiple void years, but he could very find himself as a post-June, 1 cut if he doesn’t get it figured out shortly.