If there were a Heart Hall of Fame in pro football — there isn’t, but if there were — then former Browns linebacker Eddie Johnson would certainly be in it.

Indeed, there is no Browns player in history who had more heart than the late, great guy who played for the team for a decade, 1981-90.

And all of that is why he is the focus of Part 13 of this Roy Hobbs series of Browns players who came out of nowhere to do big things.

Johnson came to Cleveland as a skinny-looking 220-pounder out of Louisville who was selected in the seventh round of the 1981 NFL Draft. Almost immediately, the Browns began looking for ways to cut him. You can do that with players with that type of resume, especially on a team such as the Browns of the 1980s, who had a number of talented linebackers.

But every year, when the regular season began, it did so with Johnson having earned a roster spot.

This went on and on and on.

Johnson was smart, savvy and a hard worker, and he hit as hard as any player the Browns have ever had. When he crunched somebody, you prayed he would get up. That’s why he was nicknamed “The Assasin.”

He made plays, too. His interception turned the game around and propelled the Browns to a 38-21 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the 1987 AFC divisional playoffs.

And then in 1988, the Browns looked yet again for his replacement, with no success.

NEXT: The jersey said it all.

Steve King