Browns: Stephen Carlson’s year ending injury opens door for Johnny Stanton

Losing Stephen Carlson hurts but the Browns could utilize Johnny Stanton instead.

The Browns saw their first major injury of the year when their best blocking tight end, Stephen Carlson, suffered a knee injury in the first quarter of the Browns game on Saturday. The injury to Carlson has left an opportunity for another player who made big waves in the Browns’ victory to get a roster spot. That player is Johnny Stanton.

Stanton played mostly in the fourth quarter, where he had a handful of plays that showcased his versatility. At 6’2, Stanton has played quarterback, running back, fullback, linebacker, and even prepped as a tight end before turning pro, meaning he’s as versatile as he comes.

The loss at tight end will hurt the Browns, who favor carrying four tight ends. Carlson, who came to Cleveland as an undrafted free agent out of Princeton in 2019, was a practice-squad guy as a rookie but did end up playing in nine games. In year two he ended up making the Browns squad as Kevin Stefanski’s fourth tight end and played all 16 games and developed as the team’s best blocker at the position.

Johnny Stanton’s versatility is the game-changer for him making the Browns

Nobody wants to lose Carlson, he’s a tremendous blocker and while he only has six career receptions as a pro, his biggest strength can’t be duplicated by anyone else on the roster, at least at his position. That leaves a guaranteed open roster slot for the season. The fifth and sixth tight ends are obvious candidates, Jordan Franks and Connor Davis.

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Franks played with the Bengals for a spell, and Davis was a member of the St. Louis BattleHawks but he never played a game. Davis did play for the AAF’s Birmingham Iron (Trent Richardson’s team), where he caught three passes for nine yards during his tenure with the team.

So the tight ends backing up Carlson aren’t great options. Yet, Stanton could be. Besides the fact he’s versatile enough to play the lone running back in an ace formation (or shotgun), he’s also a good enough blocker to be on the line of scrimmage.

Think about it, Stanton could be a real force on this team, acting as the fourth blocking tight end, while spelling Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, and whoever else makes the squad as a running back. You could even run some old-school formations now. Stuff like Power I, Flexbone, Single-Wing, the Wishbone, the Maryland Power I, and the Delaware Wing T could all be brought out with the Browns four top backs (Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, Andy Janovich), assuming Stanton makes the cut.

Heck, Stanton played linebacker too, if someone goes down, he could even fill in on that side of the ball in a pinch.

Stanton’s versatility is a godsend that the Browns should do everything to keep around.