The Cleveland Browns came out of the gate with a position of great need and inked OG Zion Johnson from the Los Angeles Chargers. The Browns offensive line should be a huge focus for Cleveland GM Andrew Berry this offseason in free agency as well as April’s NFL draft.
Johnson (6’-3”, 316 pounds) signed a three-year, $49.5 million deal with $32.4 million guaranteed.
He is a former first-round pick of the Chargers in the 2022 draft out of Boston College, taken with the 17th
pick. He made the NFL All-Rookie Team and has played in 66 NFL games with 65 starts.
Who is he? What does he bring to the table for Cleveland?
Beginnings
Johnson, age 26, grew up in Bowie, Maryland, which is halfway between Washington, DC and Annapolis, Maryland. It is literally small-town USA.
When professional athletes get together on their off-day on Tuesday, a lot of them will play a round of golf at a local course. Players are competitive, and golf is just that, plus relaxing driving around in a golf cart all day, an iced-down cooler with adult beverages, then hanging out at the club for a meal and more beer. Usually, the day’s event accompanies a wager. Remember: the competitiveness.
Browns players should be warned right off. Johnson grew up playing golf. He was on the Riverdale Baptist High School’s golf team. But he had several growth spurts when he got into high school. His hands and feet were suddenly huge. He now weighed 235 pounds and stood 6’-3”.
One day on the way home from golf practice, his bus driver told Johnson that, because of his size, he should try out for football. He was about to enter his junior year of high school and had never played football before, so he was skeptical. And besides, he was strictly a golfer.
His mother, Tammie Edwards, was a single mom and his inspiration in life. The two talked it over, and Johnson decided to give it a shot. The football coach was beaming when Johnson showed up to try out.
In an interview with WJLA News 7, Johnson told sports anchor Scott Abraham:
“(Playing football) has been a unique experience for me. Growing up, I played golf mostly. Really in high school, golf was my main thing. I wanted to go to school to be an engineer. The main thing for me is that my mom has always said you don’t want to look back in life and have regrets, so you should try things and hopefully you fall in love with them. I’d say football was the case for me.”
By starting a new sport at age 16, when just about everyone else on the roster had played the game most of their lives, the game didn’t come easily to Johnson, although he was a quick learner. His first week of contact football was not a happy time whatsoever. Even though he was one of the biggest players on the team, nobody held back on the newbie to the roster, and to the sport. He was lost at times. He was tired the other moments. But he hung in there.
Johnson had never been in a weight room before, so his lack of strength, especially in the upper body, was a deterrent. Golf is more about flexibility and swing technique. He played some defensive line, but that didn’t last. Once he was placed on the offensive line, he knew he had found a home.
Johnson was awarded his team’s “Most Improved Award” in his first season, and in his final year, he won the “Coaches Award.” While in high school, Johnson had enrolled as a pathways intern at the National Institutes of Health. An executive order signed in 2010, this program is designed to attract talented students toward federal employment and is a competitive endeavor.
His high school was not a large one, and college scouts often overlook smaller institutions. Johnson did not receive a single scholarship offer. The only school that recruited him was Davidson College, which is a non-scholarship team. He ended up at Davidson, located in Davidson, North Carolina. It is a D-1, A-10 school that plays in the Pioneer Football League.
They played Johnson right off. As a freshman, he played in all 11 games with eight starts. In his second year, he started all 11 games. He was selected First Team All-PFL, voted a HERO Sports All-Sophomore honorable mention, and named to the PFL Academic Honor Roll.
Johnson wanted to go to a Power-5 school. It just so happened that Boston College had graduated four starters along its offensive line. Johnson was now 6’-3”, 305 pounds, so he fit right in. He had to appeal to the NCAA and get a waiver to the transfer rule, so he enrolled in January and participated in spring practice while his appeal was being considered.
He wasn’t eligible, and Boston College didn’t know if they could get him eligible. In August, the word came in that he had won his appeal, and instead of preparing to play the following season, Johnson could suit up right away. The fact that Davidson College was a non-scholarship school played into the factors that awarded Johnson his instant eligibility.
At the time, Boston College head coach Steve Addazio surmised to the Boston Herald:
“In our minds, we were getting (Johnson) ready for next year, and when we could play him this year, that became a bonus. We had an opportunity to get a quality young man who is a really good player, and you never have enough offensive linemen. He’s developed and come on strong and become a real strong player, but we have a number of guys who can flat-out play.”
At Davidson, they were known for running the ball and used the triple-option, so Johnson was an excellent run blocker. Boston College also had a good passing attack, so Johnson had to relearn the techniques of pass blocking and worked his way into a starting position. In his sixth game, he became the starter at left guard.
Johnson explained to the Boston Herald:
“Coming out of high school I didn’t have any opportunities to go to a top-notch program like this. When I put my name in the portal and Boston College hit me up it was a no-brainer.”
As a junior, Johnson played in all 13 games with seven starts at left guard and named a Captain. He was voted “ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week” twice in his few starts. At season’s end, he was named Second Team All-ACC and earned All-ACC Academic Honors.
In his senior campaign, Johnson was elected team Captain and started all 11 games at left tackle. He was one of just three Boston College student-athletes to earn the prestigious 2021 Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship Award from the ACC. He also captured All-ACC Academic Honors for his second straight year and was voted First Team All-ACC plus First Team All-American.
He was invited to play in the Senior Bowl.
On to the NFL
At the Combine, Johnson ran a 5.18 in the 40, had a broad jump at 9’-4”, his vertical jump was 32”, and he benched 225 pounds, an amazing 32 reps. He now weighed 312 pounds with 34” arms and a hand size of 10 5/8” with a size 18 shoe.
“The phrase “phone booth guard” was made for Johnson thanks to his wide, girthy frame and immense playing power. Johnson has experience at tackle, but he’s clearly an interior blocker on the next level. He has knock-back pop at the point of attack with the ability to win the block in a test of strength. In space, his limitations become obvious. He’ll need to fit into the right scheme that takes advantage of what he does well and diminishes his athletic limitations. He has a ceiling of starting guard in the NFL, but his ability to deal with the athleticism of NFL defensive linemen on all three downs is a concern both as a run blocker and in pass protection.“
The Los Angeles Chargers were in dire straits along their offensive line, and selected Johnson with the 17th pick in the 2022 NFL draft. He was the fifth offensive lineman taken and the second guard behind OG Kenyon Green, taken by the Houston Texans two picks earlier. Green is now with his third NFL club.
Johnson started at right guard as a rookie and played in all 17 games. At season’s end, he was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team. In his second season, the coaching staff moved him to left guard, which he had played extensively in college. He played the first 15 games and then was inactive for the final two contests. IN 2024, again he played an entire season and last year was the starter for 16 games.
Johnson has proven to be very durable at all levels.
He is a smooth athlete with very good footwork and has natural lateral range. Very intelligent and a dependable run blocker. Very versatile lineman. He has lower-body quickness that mirrors speed rushers. Has played tackle, but is more suited for guard.
His Pro Football Focus grade for 2025 was a disappointing 57.0. Johnson had four penalties and allowed three sacks while playing 1,071 snaps, all but one at left guard.
Johnson earned an undergraduate degree from the Morrissey College of the Arts & Sciences in computer science. He enrolled in the Woods College of Advancing Studies with a focus on cybersecurity policy and governance and was the recipient of the Cote Family Football Scholarship Fund II.
Johnson is not married but has a girlfriend named Hailey. His Instagram is @zionj_77, and his X is @_ZJ77.
And on Tuesdays, never play him for more than a six-pack on the links.
