Source: WR Johnson to Browns after strange ’24 – ESPN

The Cleveland Browns reached agreement on a one-year contract with free agent wide receiver Diontae Johnson, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The agreement comes after Johnson made an official visit with the Browns on Monday.

Johnson, 28, is coming off a drama-filled season in which he bounced around with three teams — the Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans.

After leading the Panthers with 30 receptions and 357 receiving yards in the first two months of the season, Johnson was traded to the Ravens with a sixth-round draft pick for Baltimore’s fifth-round selection. He lasted seven weeks with the Ravens, totaling one catch, six receiving yards and a one-game suspension for refusing to play in a Dec. 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

After Baltimore waived him, Johnson was claimed by the Texans on Dec. 23 and managed two catches for 12 yards in one game with Houston. He then was waived by the Texans on Jan. 14 after he was visibly upset after playing 15 snaps in a wild-card playoff win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

In a surprising move, Johnson then was claimed off waivers by Baltimore on the chance that he could figure into the Ravens’ compensatory pick formula in 2026. But because Johnson agreed to a deal after the NFL draft, that will not be the case.

The Browns have needed a veteran wide receiver this offseason after not drafting a player at the position in last week’s draft. Jerry Jeudy, selected to the Pro Bowl, is the only wideout on the roster with at least 50 catches in a season. Cleveland signed veteran DeAndre Carter, but he has primarily been a return specialist in his career.

Elijah Moore, who ranked second on the team with 538 receiving yards, remains unsigned. But a source told ESPN’s Field Yates that the Browns put the seldom-used unrestricted free agent tender on Moore, who visited the Buffalo Bills on Monday.

Moore will still count toward the compensatory pick formula if he signs before the unrestricted free agent tender deadline. But if not, he will be eligible to sign only with the Browns. The tender is worth $3.428 million.

A third-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft, Johnson had 391 catches for 4,363 yards and 25 touchdowns with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2021 with his lone 1,000-yard season and a career-high eight touchdown receptions in quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s final year.

ESPN’s Jamison Hensley and Daniel Oyefusi contributed to this report.