Jul 28, 2025; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Diontae Johnson (16) runs with the ball during training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Diontae Johnson Sends Strong Message After Being Cut by Browns

Originally posted on Cleveland Browns on SI
By Matthew Schmidt | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 1:28 PM ET

The Cleveland Browns signed wide receiver Diontae Johnson shortly after the NFL Draft, hoping he would help bolster an ailing receiving corps in dire need of an established presence behind Jerry Jeudy. Needless to say, the experiment did not work out, as the Browns decided to release Johnson on roster cutdown day.

Johnson's departure does not come as much of a surprise. He didn't look great in training camp or preseason, and he didn't exactly send a great message when he skipped organized team activities earlier in the offseason program. Not only that, but he played for three different teams in 2024.

Now, the 28-year-old finds his NFL career potentially on life support, but following Cleveland's decision to release him, Johnson kept it classy by sending a message on social media.

Appreciate the opportunity regardless
— Diontae Johnson (@Juiceup__3) August 26, 2025

Diontae Johnson's NFL career has taken a wrong turn

There was a time when Johnson was one of the brightest up and coming receivers in football. The former 2019 third-round pick spent the first five years of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he made the Pro Bowl in 2021 after hauling in 107 receptions for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns.

Unfortunately, Johnson has not approached that production ever since. He failed to even reach the end zone the following year, and after another lackluster campaign with the Steelers in 2023, he was traded to the Carolina Panthers.

The Toledo product then bounced around between the Panthers, Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans in 2024, causing locker-room problems wherever he went. He totaled 33 catches for 375 yards and three scores last season.

The Browns were hoping to snag lightning in a bottle with Johnson, but Cleveland would have certainly been better off selecting a wide receiver in the NFL Draft, something the front office inexplicably chose not to do.

Now, the Browns will enter 2025 with no proven talent behind Jeudy, although Cedric Tillman, Jamari Thrash and undrafted rookie Isaiah Bond do comprise intriguing young options.

Still, with Cleveland potentially handing the reins to a first-year quarterback at some point this fall, not having a reliable receiving corps could prove daunting.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Browns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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