Defensive back out of hospital after liver injury

BEREA — Browns cornerback Kevin Johnson was discharged from the hospital Friday, and he will be back with the team in the coming days, the club announced Saturday.

Johnson will have his playing status evaluated on a week-to-week basis, according to a Browns news release. He must go through COVID19 testing protocols before he’s allowed to return to team headquarters in Berea.

Johnson was admitted to University Hospitals on Wednesday afternoon. He spent two days there after test results revealed he suffered a lacerated liver.

Johnson suffered the injury during Wednesday’s practice, when rookie tight end Harrison Bryant inadvertently landed on Johnson after they dived for a pass in the end zone.

“That’s very scary,” running back Kareem Hunt said Thursday. “I really don’t want to talk too much about it. I just hope he’s all right and doing well.”

Coach Kevin Stefanski said

Thursday he didn’t want to speculate about whether Johnson could wind up on injured reserve. The Browns are now hopeful Johnson can avoid that.

Johnson, 28, had been practicing as well as any defensive player early in training camp, and the Browns were counting on him to serve as their No. 1 nickelback after signing him to a one-year, $3.5 million contract in March.

Since Johnson’s injury occurred, the Browns have turned to M.J. Stewart Jr. to fill the primary nickelback role. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Stewart in the second round in 2018, and the Browns claimed him off waivers Aug. 8. Stewart has appeared in 21 games with six starts and compiled 64 tackles and five passes defensed.

The 16th overall pick of the Texans in the 2015 draft, Johnson has been plagued by injuries for most of his NFL career. In five seasons, four with the Texans and one with the Bills, Johnson has started 19 of the 51 games in which he has appeared with 19 passes defensed and one interception.