10 NFL players on new teams who will shine in 2021
By Randy Gurzi
8. John Johnson III, Safety, Cleveland Browns
One team that has really improved over the past couple of seasons is the Cleveland Browns. Under general manager Andrew Berry and 2020 NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski, they went 11-5 last season and won a playoff game over the hated Pittsburgh Steelers. They were close to knocking off the Kansas City Chiefs as well, which was aided by Patrick Mahomes suffering a concussion but the Browns still missed the AFC Championship Game by five points which is a testament to the moves made by their new regime.
It was also impressive work by Stefanski since the team went through one injury after another. They also had to deal with a lot of losses to COVID, including the coach himself having to watch their first playoff game from home as Mike Priefer took the helm.
Because of those injuries, which included losing safety Grant Delpit and cornerback Greedy Williams for the season, Cleveland went out and added more help in the secondary. Their best move there was to sign John Johnson III, who developed into one of the best safeties in the NFL while with the Los Angeles Rams.
Johnson turns this position into a strength as he joins Ronnie Harrison and Delpit. They still need to remain healthy but they should have a much better chance at staying competitive if they do lose anyone — especially considering Johnson doesn’t usually miss time outside of one season and is a game-changer.