4. D’Ernest Johnson, RB
The running back room in Berea is loaded with talent and that take was fortified with the performance of D’Ernest Johnson, who for 53 yards on 10 carries while also hauling in a pass for a touchdown. He caught three passes overall for 26 yards.
Naturally, as Johnson was racking up yards, some fans started to wonder if he could truly contend with a roster spot ahead of Dontrell Hilliard.
The Browns reportedly really like Hilliard, who didn’t play against the Colts. Their confidence is Hilliard was a much talked about reason among the media as to why the Browns could afford to trade Duke Johnson.
Johnson had a good game, but I’m not sure how much you can make of it, as he was going up against backups.
Kareem Hunt got the start, carrying two times for six yards. He didn’t do anything spectacular, but you could just see something in his step.
In the end, Johnson helped his personal stock probably more than he did his Browns stock.
He’s got some tape now that other teams can look at, and considering running backs get injured a lot, he’s more likely now to get look somewhere else if the Browns cut him.