The John Johnson III experiment in Cleveland is coming to an end

The Cleveland Browns are not wasting any time ahead of free agency as they will release veteran safety John Johnson III.

Around this time two years ago, many Cleveland Browns fans were jumping for joy as the team signed free agent safety John Johnson III to a three-year, $33.75 million contract with $24 million fully guaranteed.

Fast forward to present day and that experiment will be coming to an end, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. The Browns will release Johnson at the start of the new league year, which will create $9.75 million in cap space, being that it is a post-June 1 designation.

The marriage of Johnson and the Browns did not go as planned and now is the best time for both parties to find new partners. Nothing wrong with that at all. It happens in everyday life and it certainly happens in the NFL.

Johnson and fellow secondary teammate, cornerback Troy Hill both left the Rams and came to Cleveland and many thought that they would help turn the defense into a serious threat. Unfortunately, they only played together in orange and browns for one season as Hill was traded during the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Browns had Johnson for 32 games and in those games, he had four interceptions, nine pass deflections, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, a sack, and 162 tackles. Those aren't really the numbers the team had envisioned when they signed Johonson in 2021.

He said to the media during last season that he wanted more commitment from Browns defenders and then proceeded to come out and look like anything but an NFL safety.

Johnson said of his upcoming release that he was thankful for the opportunity and that his best ball is in front of him. The Browns are smart to cut ties with Johnson as his career really fell off the rails in 2022.

Cabot also reported that the Browns will try and poach veteran safety Jessie Bates III away from the divisional foe Bengals, but there will be a lot of suitors should Bates in fact become a free agent. If Cleveland were to sign Bates, he would instantly upgrade this defense

The John Johnson experiment in Cleveland is coming to an end and that is a good move for all parties involved.