The Cleveland Browns need to fill out a ton of depth on their offense this coming offseason. Between their obviously dire need for a quarterback, their lack of reliable running back depth, and with their starting wide receiver corp set to become a party of just two between Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman, they are approaching free agency with a clean slate.
Running back might be the one position that'll be most important to fill just behind quarterback. Cleveland found a lot of success on offense by focusing on their ground attack in 2023, and that's been head coach Kevin Stefanski's bread and butter since coming over to the Browns in 2020.
So, it was great to see at least one running back about to enter free agency absolutely lighting it up in a playoff game for the Buffalo Bills.
Ty Johnson should be a main target for Cleveland in 2025
Johnson, a 27 year old running back who was originally drafted by the Detroit Lions back in 2019, has had an up and down career so far in the NFL. At his stop with the NY Jets prior to landing Bills, he saw his carries and targets decrease significantly between 2021 and 2022, which might have undersold his value.
But, with Buffalo, he's not just been a solid running back, but an excellent receiver for Josh Allen to target pretty consistently. In 2024 alone, he had both 213 rushing yards and 284 receiving yards, epitomizing the offense that offensive coordinator Joe Brady established for the Bills this season - one with a healthy diet of both a ground attack and a passing game.
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That's the exact type of offense that Cleveland should lean into in 2025, and adding Johnson would be a huge boost to their success in running it. Johnson had a big AFC Wild Card game against the Denver Broncos, going for 70 total yards and a ridiculous receiving touchdown from Allen. Johnson has been a reliable target for Allen all season long in the air, and that's opened their offense up completely.
His impending free agency is interesting, as Buffalo would probably love to retain him for Allen's benefit but might be aiming to save cap space for a bigger "fish" so to speak in the offseason. Johnson was only signed to a one year "prove it" deal with the Bills, and he's certainly proved how he can be a winning player for the team with Super Bowl goals.
Buffalo isn't starved for cap space in the same way Cleveland is, which is another knock on this plan to try and acquire Johnson. They are in the red to the tune of $8,404,002 according to Over the Cap, but that's nowhere near Cleveland's deficit of $29,998,764.
But, he's someone the Browns should definitely relentlessly pursue if possible. With Nick Chubb likely to return on a team-friendly contract, and with Jerome Ford signed through 2026, adding Johnson could be the perfect cherry on top to the Browns running back depth after deciding on a quarterback.