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Browns Signing Former Pro Bowl Wide Receiver

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated Apr 28, 2025 7:15 PM ET

The Cleveland Browns didn't use any of their seven draft picks on a wide receiver, but they reportedly added one Monday.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the Browns are signing Diontae Johnson after a team visit.

Cleveland will hope to unlock the former star wideout who made a 2021 Pro Bowl appearance for the Pittsburgh Steelers after amassing 1,161 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. However, his career took some sharp detours last season.

After five seasons in Pittsburgh, the Steelers sent Johnson to the Panthers. He caught 30 of 58 targets for 357 yards in seven games before getting traded to the Baltimore Ravens.

Johnson caught just one pass in four games with Baltimore. The team suspended him after he refused to enter a Week 13 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles and later waived Johnson.

The Houston Texans represented Johnson's third team of the season. He didn't make much of an impact for the AFC South champions, catching his only target for 12 yards in a first-round playoff win before missing their ensuing elimination loss as a healthy scratch.

Baltimore claimed Johnson off waivers in January, seemingly in hopes of receiving a compensatory pick.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 07: Diontae Johnson #18 of the Baltimore Ravens looks on from the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium on November 7, 2024 in Baltimore, MD. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

Following a whirlwind year, Johnson returns to the AFC North for a Browns team that ranked 28th in total offense. They traded Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills during the 2024 campaign, and Elijah Moore remains unsigned after compiling Cleveland's second-most receiving yards (538).

The Browns currently don't have a clear No. 2 wide receiver behind Jerry Jeudy, who had a career-high 1,229 yards last season. Johnson could compete with Cedric Tillman, DeAndre Carter, Jamari Thrash, and Michael Woods II for reps.

Quarterback also remains a mystery for Cleveland. With Deshaun Watson sidelined due to another Achilles surgery, the Browns acquired Kenny Pickett and signed Joe Flacco before drafting Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the third and fifth rounds, respectively.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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