Tre Johnson was a huge man when he signed to play for the Cleveland Browns in their third year of existence back in 2001. This weekend, he passed away at the age of 54 while on a family trip. His wife stated that he died ‘suddenly and unexpectedly.’ All that is known is that Johnson has had recent health issues.
Johnson played for Cleveland head coach Butch Davis as the team went 7-9-0 that year. He was 30 years old at the time and manned the right guard spot with veteran LG Ross Verba on the other side. Johnson was just 6’-2”, but was a strong 328 pounds.
He only played in three games after tests revealed that the quadriceps tendon, which attaches to his right knee, was torn last Sunday during the Browns’ 23-14 victory in Week 3 against Jacksonville. Johnson underwent season-ending surgery at the Cleveland Clinic and finished the season on IR.
Rookie guard Jeremy McKinney took his place and played the remainder of the season. In the following training camp, Johnson was a final day cut.
Johnson was drafted in the second round of the 1994 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins. He played in 90 games with 69 starts for Washington in seven seasons. He made the Pro Bowl in 1999 and was named Second Team All-Pro. In his final year with the Redskins in 2000, he ended up on IR and only played four games. They released him, and he signed with the Browns.
BETHESDA MD, NOVEMBER 7: Former Washington Redskin offensive lineman Tre Johnson is lecturing in a diversity class. He is a teacher at Landon School in Bethesda MD, November 7, 2012 .(Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
After his one year in Cleveland, he returned to Washington for one more season and played in 10 games before retiring.
“It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that my husband, Tre’ Johnson, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Sunday February 15, 2026, during a brief family trip. His four children, Chloe, EJ, EZ and Eden, extended family, friends, and I are devastated and in shock.“
Johnson became a history teacher at the Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland, and had four children.