On February 28, 2023, the Cleveland Browns announced the release of safety John Johnson III.
#Browns plan to released John Johnson III on March 15th to save 9.75 mil unless they find a trade partner
Hard to bring back a Safety with a big price tag that missed 17 tackles last year
(21.5% missed tackle rate)— Mac🦬 (@tha_buffalo) February 28, 2023
Johnson was a member of the Browns’ secondary for the past two NFL seasons; he signed as a free agent from the Los Angeles Rams prior to the 2021 season.
His original deal was a three-year contract for $33.75 million.
The Browns have agreed to a three-year, $33.75 million contract with former Rams S John Johnson III (via @MikeGarafolo).@TampaBayTre had this to say about Cleveland's newest addition to their secondary 👇 #FrontOffice33 | #NFLFreeAgency | #Browns pic.twitter.com/297v4z90y2
— The Draft Network (@TheDraftNetwork) March 15, 2021
JJ3 Was Part Of A Struggling Browns Defense
The Browns had arguably one of the most talented teams on paper; however, the defense in particular struggled mightily the past two seasons.
Losing unthinkable games that should have been won was a characteristic of this defense.
The worst loss was in Week 2 against the New York Jets, a game in which the Browns led by 13 points with two minutes left in the game.
The Jets, with Joe Flacco as the quarterback, won the game by the score of 31-30.
Trailing 30-17 with less 1:55 on the clock, the Jets had a 0.3% chance of winning after Nick Chubb's 12-yd TD run.
The Jets late-game comeback goes down as the most improbable of the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016) based on the NGS win probability model.#NYJvsCLE | #TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/WkTiEAXrt8
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 18, 2022
Defensive coordinator Joe Woods was fired immediately after the season, and his replacement Jim Schwartz is expected to fix the problems quickly as there are a lot of young players in their prime on that team including Pro Bowlers Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward.
Browns Already Have A Replacement In Mind
The Browns are reportedly looking within the AFC North division for a replacement.
Jessie Bates, 26, was franchise tagged by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022.
A key offseason priority for the Bengals is to sign Bates, but many believe he is done with the Bengals.
Rumors Out Of Cincinnati Are That Safety Jesse Bates III Has Played His Last Game For The Cincinnati Bengals
Bates Played On The Franchise Tag Last Season & Held Out Early In The Season#RuleTheJungle #NFL #TitleTribe pic.twitter.com/uzKBbpoAmE
— Toilets To Titles Podcast Network (@ToiletsToTitles) February 24, 2023
Bates has 14 interceptions and 327 solo tackles through five seasons and 79 regular season games.
He will be highly coveted by several NFL teams, in addition to the Browns, if he leaves Cincinnati.
What’s Next For Johnson?
Some argue that Johnson was never used properly by the Browns.
He recorded 4 interceptions and 107 solo tackles through 32 regular season games.
Johnson is 27 years old and a six-season NFL veteran who is expected to attract interest.
What’s Next For The Browns?
The Browns are in a win-now mentality.
General manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski have been with the team since 2020.
Aside from the surprising success and playoff win in 2020, the Browns have fallen flat.
In 2022, they orchestrated the massive trade for Deshaun Watson to revamp the offense.
It appears the focus is now on fixing the defense during the 2023 off-season.
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