Browns Furiously Mocked by AFC North Rival Fans After Polarizing Move

The Cleveland Browns decided to sign Diontae Johnson in an attempt to bolster their receiving corps on Monday, which was definitely a polarizing move.

There was a time when Johnson was one of the top up and coming pass-catchers in football during his early days with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he has certainly fallen on hard times recently. He played for three different teams in 2024, managing just 33 catches for 375 yards and three touchdowns.

One of those teams was the Baltimore Ravens, with whom Johnson logged just one grab before being released as a result of attitude issues.

Not surprisingly, Ravens fans are taking some delight in the Browns' decision to add Johnson, especially after Cleveland failed to land a single wide receiver in the NFL Draft.

Matt Sidney of Ebony Bird has ripped the Browns for a series of questionable moves, ranging from their drafting two quarterbacks to actually giving Johnson a chance.

"It’s almost like the Cleveland Browns can’t help themselves," Sidney wrote. "Just when you think they’ve outdone their usual dysfunction by drafting Dillon Gabriel 94th overall (only to select Shedeur Sanders two rounds later)—a move that turned every Baltimore Ravens fan into a draft expert overnight—they go and do something even crazier. ... The Browns are basically holding up a neon sign that says 'We still don't get it.' They needed to add stability this offseason, especially after [Deshaun] Watson’s injury and the quarterback carousel that followed. Instead, they’re taking fliers on players with more baggage than production and hoping for the best."

While that may be just a tad harsh, Sidney actually makes some interesting points. Cleveland opting to sign Johnson when it could have just selected one of the many dynamic wide outs in what was a very deep receiver draft class is dubious, to say the least.

The Browns have Jerry Jeudy and not a whole lot else in their wide receiver room. Cedric Tillman definitely showed some promise in 2024, but he remains vastly unproven.

Perhaps Johnson will be able to regain his 2021 Pro Bowl form, but the chances of that actually happening seem very slim.

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