3 tough separations that need to happen for Cleveland Browns in 2023

As the Cleveland Browns close the 2022 season, Andrew Berry needs to start thinking about these three tough separations that could make sense.

The Cleveland Browns are now two games into the Deshaun Watson, and to this point, things haven’t exactly gone to plan. The Browns are 1-1 in his two starts, but the lone win came against the Houston Texans who are arguably the worst team in the league, and the defense/special teams scored 21 points.

Obviously, Watson is going to need some time to catch up to the speed of the game, and the progression from his first game to the second was promising. However, the offense struggled substantially vs. the Bengals last week when the defense did a good job of keeping them in the game in the first half.

Andrew Berry has certainly put together a competitive roster with the addition of Watson, but there are still some seriously overvalued guys on this team. Here are three separations that will be very difficult but need to happen this offseason.

Cleveland Browns separation No. 3: John Johnson III

With three void years on his contract, John Johnson III is going to be a difficult one to get rid of this offseason. No one will want to take on his contract, and even with a post-June 1 cut, the Browns will still owe Johnson $7 million plus to not play on their team.

Johnson continues to look lost in coverage and might be the worst tackler on the team, and that’s saying something. Johnson was a huge bright spot in the first few games of 2021 but has been on a decline ever since.

All three safeties have really struggled this season at times, and I see Johnson and Ronnie Harrison both off the roster next year leaving just Grant Delpit as the lone returning starter. Delpit has had his own struggles but has come on strong the last couple of weeks.