By John Rigolizzo
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Diontae Johnson wants to redeem himself after a drama-filled 2024.
Johnson was traded to the Baltimore Ravens midway through the 2024 season; he was suspended, then cut, for conduct detrimental to the team and signed with the Houston Texans days later; he was cut by the Texans in January 2025 and re-signed with the Ravens before becoming a free agent. He signed a one-year deal with the Browns in the offseason.
“I’m thankful just to get another opportunity to be here,” Johnson said at a press conference after Browns’ mini-camp practice Wednesday. “Just one day at a time, control what I can control, make the most of my opportunities, and that’s how it is for me right now.”
Johnson said the Browns were the only team that reached out to him in free agency, but put it down to the business side of the NFL and said he was happy to be in Cleveland.
The seventh-year wide receiver said he was eager to put the past behind him and not let one down year define him.
“Last year is last year,” Johnson said.
“I’m just worried about this year.
“It’s one bad year. It’s one year. I had five great seasons in Pittsburgh, and it’s one year. That does not define me as a player, none of that, or my character, none of that.”
Johnson said he was still in top form and was looking forward to getting opportunities to showcase his skills on tape.
A reporter asked him why he had not spoken about his troubles since the end of the season, and whether he thought outsiders misunderstood his situation. Johnson said he was the only one in the room when those discussions took place but doesn’t like to air his personal issues out in the open. He said that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and he was going to go off what he knows.
“I’m trying to change that narrative, and move the right way and keep going,” he said.
“Prove everybody wrong. That’s my mindset. Keep going, don’t worry about the outside noise, worry about what goes on in between these gates. That’s it.”
In order to do that, Johnson is taking a new approach to how he handles his business.
“Just play, instead of just thinking about all the other stuff,” he said.
“Just play. I want to make the most of my opportunities when I get in, cheer my teammates on, be a great teammate stuff, like that … come here with a great attitude … do what I got to do, and like I say, the rest is going to take care of itself.
“Football is football at the end of the day. Once we get in between the lines, that’s all it’s about.”
Browns wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea said that he is only concerned about the present with Johnson.
“I don’t focus in on the past, I really don’t,” O’Shea said Thursday at a press conference. “All I focus in on is when he’s here, working hard with him to bring out the best in him as a player and a person. So I don’t even reference the past. We don’t even talk about it, nor do I even think it’s a part of our daily process.”
Johnson will compete for a spot in the Browns’ wide receiver room. Jerry Jeudy had a breakout season in 2024 after four years with the Denver Broncos; he caught 90 passes for 1,229 yards and 4 touchdowns, including 235 yards and a score against the Broncos on Monday Night Football.
The Browns also have 2023 third-round pick Cedric Tillman; 2024 fifth-round pick Jamari Thrash; 2022 sixth-rounder Michael Woods II; free agent signees DeAndre Carter and Jaelen Gill; 2022 third-round pick David Bell; fourth-year pro Kaden Davis; and 2025 undrafted free agent signees Gage Larvadain, Cade McDonald, Kisean Johnson, and Luke Floreia on the preseason roster.
