What are Browns doing with Duke Johnson?

So far this season Cleveland Browns running back Duke Johnson has been underwhelming. This needs to change and soon.

The Cleveland Browns have played their fourth game of the season and Duke Johnson’s presence in the offense is incredibly small. In Sunday’s loss to Oakland Johnson carried the ball twice for 11 yards and caught four passes on six targets for 45 yards. Johnson also ran in a two-point conversion attempt. While this week has been Johnson’s best game of the season, it is not saying that much.

Part of the reason for Johnson’s lack of productivity this year is definitely in part due to the presences of Carlos Hyde and Nick Chubb. Hyde is the bell cow of the Browns offense and Chubb had a breakout performance Sunday, rushing for over 100 yards and two touchdowns on three carries. This could lead to even less carries for Johnson. He is not exactly rushing a whole lot this season as he is averaging three rushes per game.  With Chubb most likely having a more prominent role in the offense it brings forth a question.

Just what will the Browns do with Duke Johnson?

Through four games Johnson has 12 rushes for 40 yards and nine receptions for 84 yards. At this current rate Johnson is on pace for the worst season of his career. It is obvious that Cleveland does not want to use Johnson in the running game which is why a conversion to receiver may be in order.

Running a successful offense in the NFL is all about creating and exploiting mismatches. Johnson as a receiver is a huge mismatch. He is fast enough to play the position and the way his body is built will prevent him from being bullied by defensive backs. Johnson as a receiver would also help other pass catchers on the field get favorable matchups.

Cleveland has experimented with this before, famously using Johnson as a receiver in 2017’s Week 1 loss to Pittsburgh. While the outing did not produce eye popping numbers (only two catches for 20 yards) it opened up the field for others to make plays. Johnson being out wide kept the Pittsburgh defense honest and allowed others to put together a respectable performance for themselves.

Sure this will take a bit of an adjustment for everyone involved. Johnson is a running back but is better catching the ball out of the backfield rather than running in-between the tackles. What this really does is allow Cleveland to get the most out of Johnson, something that really has not happened yet. So far into his young career, the idea of Duke Johnson is greater than actual on field production.

Will the Browns actually convert Duke Johnson to wide receiver?

Probably not. Johnson is too dangerous in the passing game as a running back that it pays to have him line up in the backfield. However if the Browns truly want to get the most out of Johnson, they should wise up and at least have him line up as a receiver more often. Even if it is not a full conversion to receiver. Johnson is so dangerous as a receiver that it needs to happen. His skill set out wide will bring the Browns offense to the next level and will hopefully lead to more wins in the future.