Top 3 players on the roster bubble heading into Cleveland Browns camp

Cleveland Browns on the roster bubble: D’Ernest Johnson, RB

This is going to seem pretty shocking considering some of the really good things we saw out of D’Ernest Johnson last year.

His 2021 season included a rather dominant performance on Thursday Night Football against the Denver Broncos and their broken linebacker position.

Johnson was re-signed and is strong depth for the Browns to have at the running back position behind both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, but the Browns may have other options as well.

The Browns took Demetric Felton in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and while Felton could also easily be considered as being on the roster bubble, his versatility and contract could ultimately play a factor in his staying around over a player like Johnson.

Even if the Browns do move on from Felton, there’s more competition for the RB3 job in the form of 2022 fifth-round pick Jerome Ford out of Cincinnati.

Ford is a big back at 210 pounds with explosive speed, clocking a 4.46 in the 40-yard dash.

What happens if he has a huge preseason and looks ready for regular season action?

Again, the Browns have options, there’s no question about it.

They also have John Kelly Jr. on the roster at the running back position, and the fullback position will be a factor in how this roster is constructed.

As injuries mount around the league, a player like D’Ernest Johnson could become a pretty nice trade piece, and perhaps the Browns could recoup a late-round pick for him as opposed to just cutting him outright.