Receiver Diontae Johnson, who was traded twice and waived twice last year, said the Browns were the only team that expressed interest in him. (TheLandOnDemand)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is an analyst on the Cleveland Browns for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Takeaways from Day 2 of Browns mandatory minicamp …
We pause our preoccupation with the one-sided Quarterback Derby – at the quarter pole, it’s Joe Flacco by a mile – to address a more worrisome roster dilemma.
Who’s the No. 2 wide receiver?
On paper, it’s Diontae Johnson. Also by a mile.
In five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Toledo Rocket product, a third-round draft pick in 2019, averaged 78 receptions, 873 yards, five touchdowns, and 801 snaps.
The total career figures of the 11 other receivers on the Browns’ roster other than Jerry Jeudy don’t even come close to Johnson’s averages with Pittsburgh.
Then came 2024 – The Season From Hell for Diontae Johnson.
* Traded from Pittsburgh to Carolina in March.
* Traded from Carolina to Baltimore in October.
* Suspended by Baltimore for refusing to enter a game against the Eagles.
* Waived by Baltimore in December.
* Claimed by Houston.
* Waived by Houston in January.
* Claimed by Baltimore, but did not play.
In his first interview since that enigmatic sequence, Johnson said, “Last year was last year. I'm just worried about this year.”
Pressed, he added, “I don't like to speak on a lot of stuff, so … everybody gonna have their opinions. At the end of the day, I'm the only one in that room and really know what’s going on. You know what I'm saying? Everybody, they entitled to it. Like I said, last year was last year. I'm trying to turn and change that narrative and move the right way and keep going.”
What did he learn about himself last year?
“One bad year. One year,” Johnson said. “I had five great seasons in Pittsburgh. One year don't define me as a player. None of that, my character, none of that. Like I say, everybody gonna say what they wanna say about me, but I know who I am as a person deep down and that's all that matters to me.”
Johnson said the Browns were the only team that contacted him. He said GM Andrew Berry told him he liked Johnson coming out of the 2019 draft.
The fact former Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett was already on hand aided in Berry’s decision to sign Johnson. In the 2022-23 seasons with Pickett as Steelers main starting quarterback, Johnson averaged 68.5 receptions, 800 yards, and 2.5 touchdowns.
“We got a good relationship,” Johnson said.
“I’m really happy that he’s here,” Pickett said. “I think he can really help us. The things that he can do with his route-running and ability.
“I think he does a really good job of getting separation at the line, at the top of his routes. In and out of cuts, I think is probably his biggest strength. He gets in and out really well. So, a lot of those third downs, possession downs, route running, which you need to be precise at, I think he can bring that.”
If this is Johnson’s last chance at restoring his career, he did not exactly get off to a roaring start. He attended Phase 2 of the voluntary offseason program but was absent for Phase 3, which included six OTA practices. He declined to explain his absence, but said he and coach Kevin Stefanski are good.
He said his mindset now is to “be myself and prove everybody wrong. Don't worry about outside noise, worry about what goes on between these gates. Just play, just play. Make the most of my opportunities when I get in, cheer my teammates on, be a great teammate, stuff like that.
“Like I said, be here and do what I'm told. I'm trying to do my job, my assignment, just execute. That's all there is to it.”
Quarterback update
After being “rep-managed”with none on Tuesday, Flacco received limited reps in an 11-on-11 goal-line period and a 7-on-7 red zone period.
Per usual, Pickett and Dillon Gabriel received the most reps.
Pickett was frustrated by the No. 1 secondary in a 7-on-7 red zone period, in which he had three straight incompletions for David Njoku (one drop), and then whistled one out of the end zone that banged off the glass of the weight room.
Shedeur Sanders again received no reps against the No. 1 defense.
Pickett, Gabriel and Sanders each got four reps in a two-minute period – the first seen by media.
Best throws were made by: Flacco, on a dart that threaded the needle to Kaden Davis in the middle of the end zone, after which Davis banged off the goalpost standard; Pickett, on a crossing route to Jerry Jeudy in heavy traffic; Sanders, on his typical layered toss to Gage Larvadain in the middle of the field; and Gabriel, on a Stefanski-special, play-fake, bootleg-to-the-left toss to tight end Brenden Bates.
The numbers
Joe Flacco: 3 of 7, 1 touchdown.
Kenny Pickeet: 6 of 11, 1 TD.
Dillon Gabriel: 9 of 16, 2 TD.
Shedeur Sanders: 8 of 9, 1 TD.
Say what?
Me: “Kevin, it’s more appropriate now to ask than in OTAs, so why hasn’t Shedeur received any reps against the No. 1 defense?”
Stefanski: “Yeah, again, like I’ve told you guys, let’s not look too much into who’s out there when. We’re in installation phase, we’re in teaching phase, so not much to look into.”
Brownie bits
Continuing to be out were receivers Cedric Tillman, Michael Woods and David Bell, and defensive tackle Michael Hall. Also, kicker Dustin Hopkins spent half the practice in the weight room and has not kicked in two days of minicamp …
Flacco’s reps in OTAs and minicamp were limited to enable the three QBs new to the Stefanski offense to get as many reps as possible. Will that continue in training camp? “I don’t know what the plan is exactly,” Flacco said. “But you know, I trust Kevin and that he has a plan for all this, and that’s really all I can do. I’d love to go out there and take 120 reps a day and get in the groove and do all those things, but like I said, the coaches have a plan, Kevin has a plan, and my job is to just trust that, go out there and do the best I can.”