CLEVELAND — No Baker Mayfield. No Nick Chubb. No Kareem Hunt. No problem?
At least as far as their opening drive on Thursday night was concerned, it sure seemed to look that way for the Cleveland Browns.
After winning the coin toss and opting to receive the ball first in their Thursday Night Football matchup with the Denver Broncos at FirstEnergy Stadium, the Browns marched right down the field with a five-play, 75-yard drive. Running back D'Ernest Johnson rushed for 34 yards on three carries, including a four-yard touchdown run to give Cleveland an early 7-0 lead.
Johnson's touchdown run marked his first of the season and helped provide a strong start to the first start of his NFL career. A third-year player out of South Florida, Johnson entered the season as the Browns' third-string running back but now finds himself in a starting role after Chubb and Hunt each suffered calf injuries.
“I am very excited," Johnson said of his first start earlier this week. "First time getting a chance to start. It is always a dream come true."
Johnson isn't the only new face in the Browns' backfield on Thursday with Case Keenum starting in place of Mayfield at quarterback. Mayfield is missing the first game of his four-year NFL career after reaggravating a shoulder injury in Cleveland's 37-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, with Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reporting before the game that the No. 1 pick of the 2018 NFL Draft also suffered a fractured humerus bone in his left shoulder.