Browns' Updated Salary Cap, Depth Chart After Diontae Johnson Contract, NFL Draft

The Cleveland Browns are taking a flier on wide receiver Diontae Johnson following a disastrous 2024 season.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported the two sides have agreed to a one-year deal. This will be Johnson's fifth team in roughly 12 months.

He joins a Browns team looking to make a playoff push after struggles a year ago. Here's a look at the team's updated depth chart heading into the 2025 season.

2025 Cleveland Browns Depth Chart

QB: Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson

RB: Quinshon Judkins, Jerome Ford, Dylan Sampson, Pierre Strong Jr.

WR: Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, Jamari Thrash, Diontae Johnson, Michael Woods II, David Bell, Kaden Davis, DeAndre Carter, Gage Larvadain

TE: David Njoku, Harold Fannin Jr., Blake Whiteheart, Brendan Bates, Tre' McKitty

FB: Troy Hairston

The financial details of Johnson's one-year deal are unclear, but the Browns had $19.032 million in cap space available before signing him, per Spotrac.

The Pittsburgh Steelers traded the 28-year-old to the Carolina Panthers last March. Following a 1-7 start, the Panthers traded him to the Ravens ahead of the deadline. In Baltimore, he received a one-game suspension after he refused to enter a 24-19 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13. The Ravens waived him a few weeks later and he landed with the Texans, who also eventually waived him, before Baltimore brought him back.

The Ravens put in the waiver claim knowing he'd be ineligible to suit up for the playoffs, but the move ensured he'd be a restricted free agent. That opened the door for them to potentially get a 2026 compensation pick if he signed elsewhere.

It didn't look like a reunion with Baltimore was on the cards based on comments general manager Eric DeCosta made after the season ended.

The Browns could be counting on having a much more motivated version of Johnson in 2025 because it may not be a stretch to say his career is on shaky ground. The 28-year-old simply hasn't been good enough to justify the headaches he caused a season ago, and the way he burned through teams made for terrible optics.

The excitement Johnson generated by making the Pro Bowl in 2021 with 107 receptions, 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns has long since evaporated. His production proceeded to dip over the next two years before he hit his nadir in 2024.

In seven games with the Panthers, Johnson caught 30 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns. Following his trade to Baltimore, he had just three more receptions for the remainder of the campaign.

As a buy-low candidate, Johnson isn't a gamble. He has plenty of incentives to deliver on the field in order to get a better deal next spring. While his contract details are still unknown, Cleveland likely hasn't invested too much, either, which would prevent making a clean break midseason if his performance doesn't improve.