MANKATO, Minn. -- Since the Minnesota Vikings signed Charles Johnson off the Cleveland Browns' practice squad in Sept. 2014, his career arc has, at times, carried a risk of whiplash for those following it.
Used sparingly before the Vikings' bye week in 2014, he wrested a starting job from Cordarrelle Patterson and posted 328 yards in six games after it. He entered the 2015 season as the Vikings' starting split end and a trendy pick for a breakout season. But after Johnson fractured a rib in Week 3 while trying to work back to a pass that wound up being intercepted, rookie Stefon Diggs took the job and never gave it back. It took six weeks before Johnson's rib felt back to normal, and he…
