Cleveland Browns Likely to Cut James-Michael Johnson
By Josh Sanchez
A new regime has taken over the Cleveland Browns for the 2013-14 NFL season and it looks like they will not be shy about sending home players that were drafted by the old men in charge. According to a report from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, last year’s fourth-round selection, James-Michael Johnson, is likely to be released after being unable to fit in to a role in new defensive coordinator Ray Horton’s defense.
It is not that the Browns don’t believe Johnson is a quality player, they just don’t have a place for him in their current system.
From the Cleveland Plain Dealer report:
"James-Michael Johnson seems nowhere in the plans and is likely to be cut. He was considered a starter by the previous coaching staff. He had some injuries and missed six games. He did play 45 percent of the snaps when he was healthy. But he is lost in this system."
Without Johnson in the plans, it looks like Craig Robertson, who was signed as an undrafted free agent out of North Texas in 2011, is favored to start opposite D’Qwell Jackson on the inside of the Browns defense.
Johnson still has a lot of untapped talent and could be great for a team looking to add a hard-hitting linebacker to their depth chart, but Cleveland just doesn’t seem in the plans. If he is released like the report indicates, it shouldn’t take too long for someone to step up and give him a shot.