Former California Bears safety Brett Johnson has been claimed and officially awarded off of waivers (from Seattle) to the Cleveland Browns, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot.

Johnson was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Buffalo Bills last year, and is a fantastic athlete. The 6’1" 194 pound safety ran a 4.47 40 yard dash at the Cal pro day, and he posted a 42.5 inch vertical leap, which is very impressive.

Whether or not that athleticism will translate to the field remains to be seen, as this is already Johnson’s third NFL team, but he will get a shot to make the Browns this pre-season.

Hardesty Practicing

Tony Grossi and Scott Petrak are reporting that Montario Hardesty was being included in running backs drills for the first time in two weeks, though on a limited basis. This is an encouraging sign for the back, who tore his ACL last year and wasn’t able to make an impact on the Browns like so many believed he would.

We will keep an eye out for more Hardesty developments, but I expect the Browns to take it slowly in terms of bringing him back.