Browns Receiver Hopes to 'Change the Narrative'

But that's when the wheels truly came off.

Johnson left Pittsburgh for Carolina. Had he left two years before, he might have gotten a fat contract, but instead, he was forced to settle for a one-year prove-it deal for a little over $6 million base.

His production was solid, but Carolina's locker room was in disarray after former first-overall quarterback Bryce Young was benched for journeyman Andy Dalton following a 0-2 start. After seven games, Carolina traded Johnson to the Baltimore Ravens for a swap of low draft picks.

That didn't work. Like, at all.

The receiver lasted just seven games with the Ravens, with a grand total of one catch. He was suspended for a game, too, after refusing to enter the Philadelphia Eagles on December 1.

The Ravens waived him, and the Houston Texans claimed Johnson on December 23. Johnson caught two passes in one regular-season game. But then he was waived again after just playing 15 snaps in a wild-card playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

After a drama-filled season, Johnson's phone didn't ring during this year's free agency period. Cleveland was the only team that called, and even then, he wasn't signed until late April. The contract is for the veteran minimum, $1.17 million. 

That's a long way down for a player who once saw 169 targets in a single season from a first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback. But Johnson isn't saying why things happened the way that they did.

"I don't want to speak on a lot of stuff," he said. "Last year is last year. I'm trying to change that narrative and move the right way and keep going."

The Cleveland Browns are a team that needs a couple of big wins from reclamation projects like Johnson. They are in cap-hell, paying off the albatross contract for a quarterback who won't even play this year. Yet, the team desperately needs to solidify the hole at WR2 on the depth chart behind Jerry Jeudy.

Can Johnson and Cleveland be the answer to each other's needs? Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski thinks its possible.

"Diontae's doing a nice job," Stefanski said, while also indicating that he had a "good talk" with Johnson after the team signed him. "It's good to have him out here."