The Cleveland Browns may be just days away from ending their long head coach search and the NFL is just a couple of weeks away from ending their season with the Super Bowl. The Browns have a long way to go before they are considered in the same position as the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams, and Seattle Seahawks.
A look at those four teams shows a lot of former Cleveland players and a distinct need for a good coach (young (Sean McVay, Mike Macdonald), old (Sean Payton), and in the
middle (Mike Vrabel) all can work) and really good quarterbacks selected high in the NFL draft:
- Matthew Stafford – #1 overall pick
- Sam Darnold – #3 overall pick
- Drake Maye – #3 overall pick
- Bo Nix (now injured) – #12 overall pick
Saturday, the Patriots added another former Browns player to their AFC Championship roster, via a practice squad elevation, RB D’Ernest Johnson:
Johnson was a great story making Cleveland’s roster in 2019 after joining the AAF fresh off a fishing boat catching mahi mahi. Johnson’s best year came in 2021, his third with the Browns, when he had 100 carries for 534 yards and three touchdowns.
After four years in Cleveland, Johnson joined the Jacksonville Jaguars for parts of two seasons and was with the Arizona Cardinals, along with New England, this season. Johnson has become a reliable kick returner and overall special teams player.
