Diontae Johnson

The Athletic’s Zac Jackson believes Browns WR Diontae Johnson is “the clear favorite to win the slot receiver job.”

Jackson notes Johnson’s experience and production as reasons for him to have the edge over Jamari Thrash. Pittsburgh traded Johnson to Carolina last offseason. The Panthers then threw in the towel on him by shipping him to Baltimore. The Ravens cut him later in the year and then the Texans picked him and cut him a few weeks down the road for good measure. That’s four teams giving up on him in a calendar year. The Browns signed him to a measly, one-year, $1.2 million deal this offseason. Even if Thrash, a fifth-round pick in 2024, didn’t show enough as a rookie to be pencilled in as a starter, we’re not willing to call it for Johnson either.