The Cleveland Browns are having some tough choices to make in regard to their final roster. They have until 4 p.m. ET to get their team down to 53 players, and they've already started making some moves.
On Tuesday, Cleveland decided to release WR Diontae Johnson after signing with them in April, per Mike Garafolo. It appeared this move was trending in this direction for a while now, but the Browns' signing of WR Isaiah Bond on Aug. 18 effectively pushed Johnson out the door.
The #Browns are releasing WR Diontae Johnson, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. The seven-year veteran was with the team since signing in late April. pic.twitter.com/Yuc4umEjip
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 26, 2025
Browns Release WR Diontae Johnson
The Browns signed Johnson to a one-year, $1.17 million deal, but there wasn't any guaranteed money on the books. He played in all three preseason games for Cleveland, logging 73 total snaps. In those reps, he only managed to reel in two passes for 19 yards.
Per PFF, he had two sub-50 and one sub-60 overall grade in the three preseason games. With this lack of production and the way things have gone for Johnson, the writing was on the wall. Tom Pelissero pointed out that this was the 8th transaction involving Johnson in the past 18 months.
He hasn't been able to stick anywhere, and once the Browns gave Bond that three-year, $3.018 fully guaranteed contract, the need for Johnson wasn't there anymore.
Bond went undrafted this past April as he was under investigation for a sexual assault case, but it was no-billed by a grand jury in Texas, and he faced no criminal charges.
That cleared the way for him to sign with Cleveland, and they were intrigued with his skill set. Bond is a vertical deep threat and has the sudden change of direction ability. He can fly and has run a 4.39 40-yard dash. In his collegiate career at Alabama and Texas, Bond had 99 catches for 1,428 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Athletic's Dane Brugler gave Bond a third-round draft grade. Many NFL draft experts had similar grades, but he wasn't lower than a fifth-round pick across the board.
The Browns believed in him enough to guarantee his entire deal. Granted, it's only for $3 million, but this shows they would rather have him on the team and develop him than Johnson, who can't stay on any team as of late.
That addition cleared the way for Johnson to get released, and having Bond made the decision easier for them.