Stefanski excited to add Johnson and McKinley

Within an hour after the Browns could make the old news official on March 17, they did by announcing signing safety John Johnson and defensive end Takkarist McKinley in free agency.

Within an hour after the Browns could make the old news official on March 17, they did by announcing signing safety John Johnson and defensive end Takkarist McKinley in free agency.

There is some real news, however. The Browns have re-signed veteran linebacker Malcom Smith to a one-year contract. Smith was second on the team in tackles with 72 behind B.J. Goodson’s 91 stops.

Also, tight end David Njoku’s fifth-year option of $6.013 million became guaranteed with the start of the new league year at 4:01 p.m. March 17.

The deal with Johnson was agreed to on March 15 and the one with McKinley was made one day later, but agreements don’t become official until the start of the league year.

“Really excited about what John Johnson is going to bring to our defense and our back end in particular,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “He’s a dynamic player that will fit in well with our group. On top of that, I’m excited about the person, as much as I am about the player.

“He was the captain of the team out there in Los Angeles at such a young age and all the people that I’ve spoken to about him consistently rave about the person that he is and the leader he is for a football team, so we couldn’t be more thrilled to add him to the team.”

Johnson, 25, was a third-round draft pick by the Rams in 2017. He played 16 games in 2018. He missed 10 in 2019 because of a shoulder injury but bounced back to start all 16 last season. He has eight career interceptions.

“Dawg Pound, what’s up? This is J.J. III here, newest member of the Browns family,” Johnson said in a video. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to get to a city that loves their team — loyal fans, great organization, great culture, a winning culture, a team that’s ready to turn the corner.

“I’m going to get to Cleveland, get to work immediately. I’m looking forward to everything. Go Dawgs!”

Then he barked like he had been barking his whole career.

McKinley is a low-risk gamble. The 2017 firstround draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons signed a one-year, $4 million contract. A groin injury limited him to four games with the Falcons last year. He was waived and failed physicals with the Bengals and 49ers. He eventually caught on with the Raiders but did not play in a game with them.

“Takk is a skilled young player with tremendous upside,” Stefanski said. “We like his pass rush ability and the way he has gotten after the QB throughout his young career. Defensive line was a position that we felt we wanted to address during free agency, and we’re excited to add Takk and the impactful tools he possesses to the group that will help make the plays we need along the line.”

McKinley had 17.5 sacks and 45 quarterbacks hits in his four years in Atlanta.