CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns have addressed the futures of several players on the roster already this offseason, including tight end David Njoku, who was franchise-tagged, as well as Blake Hance, Michael Dunn and Ja'Marcus Bradley, who were all tendered. Now, the Browns are planning to address the future of running back D'Ernest Johnson.
Sources confirmed to News 5 that the team plans to tender Johnson, who is a restricted free agent this year.
The tender being placed on Johnson would be a first-right-of-refusal tender, giving the Browns the option to match any offer sheet from another team, with no draft compensation tied to the tender. The tender the Browns plan on using is worth about $2.5 million.
Last season, Johnson was an integral part of the Browns run game, stepping up big for the team when they needed him most.
Johnson played in all 17 games last season, starting in two when both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt were sidelined. There were numerous times when Chubb and Hunt were out with either injury or COVID-19, but Johnson carried the run game on his shoulders.
In 100 carries, Johnson ran for 534 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry and scoring three touchdowns. He also notched 137 receiving yards on 19 receptions last season.
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