Dawgs By Nature
Browns roster has room, can Kisean Johnson steal a spot?
A quick look at the Cleveland Browns’ receiver room for 2025 reveals an abundance of bodies with a lot of talent. Traditionally, the Browns only keep six pass catchers. And this year’s group will be a lot different than who played last season.
Gone is Elijah Moore. Jerry Jeudy had a banner year topped off by his first Pro Bowl. Jamari Thrash is a possible gem, Cedric Tillman is expected to step up, while free agent signee Diontae Johnson remains an enigma.
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There are plenty of others, but these four most likely should become the receiver core. That leaves just two spots on the active roster, and several slots available for the practice squad. The key is to provide quality depth because every year, players get injured for short and long stretches. Last year, both Tillman and David Bell ended up on IR. Already, Tillman and Jaelen Gill have been hurt, with Gill released after suffering a hamstring injury.
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Kisean Johnson hopes to become more than just a jersey number in a sea of jersey numbers. He is counting on his rookie training camp with the Browns to be his first step in realizing his dream of becoming an NFL player. By the way, he runs a 4.48.
Johnson (6-1”, 216 pounds) grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and attended Ramsay High School, where being successful in football has a long tradition. The 5A school captured the State Championship in 1934, 1947, 2016, 2022, and was state runners-up in 2023. In all, Ramsay has won 25 state championships in five boys’ sports and three girls’ sports.
His first name is pronounced “key-shawn” with the emphasis on the first syllable, “key.” At Ramsay, Johnson was a standout basketball player and also competed in football. He caught 39 passes for 850 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior.
He went to Alabama State, where he was the team’s most productive receiver over the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Johnson was named First Team All-SWAC and Third Team All-America member by FCS Football Central. He led the conference in receiving yards (819), receiving yards per game (81.9), receptions per game (6.2), and receiving touchdowns (7).
In December of 2023, he entered the transfer portal, where he had interest from Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky, among others, and signed with the latter. Johnson started all 14 games for Western Kentucky last season and led the Hilltoppers in receiving, which seems to be his trend. His 2024 stats include 75 receptions for 925 yards, a 12.3 yards per reception average, with seven touchdowns. He ranked second in Conference USA in receptions per game (5.36), fifth in receiving yards per game (66.1), third in touchdown receptions (7), second in total receptions (75), and third in total receiving yards (925).
For his senior season, Johnson’s accolades included:
