What’s next for Duke Johnson?
The deicison to sign Kareem Hunt to an already full backfield makes the future of Duke Johnson in a Cleveland Browns uniform uncertain.
It is not just the signing of Kareem Hunt that causes issues. Hunt may be suspended for a part of the season that will leave Duke Johnson with many opportunities before his return to the field. It is the comments from John Dorsey that make his future in Cleveland rather uncertain.
“I don’t think it makes him expendable yet.”
John Dorsey on Duke Johnson during Monday’s press conference
It is that phrase in particular which calls into question Duke Johnson’s future. Most notably the use of the word yet. Yet implies that there will be a time in the future that Johnson will become expendable. Of course there are several caveats to this potential expandability.
Kareem Hunt is cleared to play and plays well
This is the first and most obvious. If the NFL clears Kareem Hunt to play and he plays well that certainly points in the direction of Duke Johnson being expendable. Hunt is capable of doing everything that Johnson can and he can do it better. Hunt could play just well enough that Johnson could end up being part of a trade, but that will be covered later.
Duke Johnson’s injury history
Duke Johnson is notorious for suffering in game injuries which limit his on field production. Johnson will make an outstanding play which gives the Browns offense momentum and ends up on the sideline with an injury of some sort. While Johnson is yet to miss game in his career, there is always that chance he will exit a game and not return due to injury. Relying on someone who seemingly is always injured is not the best tactic.
A potential position change?
This is a particular topic which has been discussed ad nauseam. Potentially transitioning Duke Johnson to a wide receiver. More specifically a slot receiver. While he would not be a true receiver, he could be used in the passing game to exploit mismatches. Johnson is physically larger than most defensive backs and faster than most linebackers. Johnson possesses the elusiveness to play the position and could make defending the Cleveland Browns passing attack an absolute nightmare.
A trade on the horizon?
This is based off of John Dorsey’s comments mentioned earlier and if Kareem Hunt plays well. There is a general consensus that Duke Johnson has not been used correctly during his time in Cleveland. Whether it is not being used enough or simply running the wrong plays, Johnson’s tenure in Cleveland has not been without scrutiny.
Other teams in the NFL are aware of Duke Johnson’s talent and may be interested in acquiring his services. This would be with the hopes that they can finally get the most out of the former Miami Hurricane. Dorsey’s comments have opened the door for trade rumors and other GM’s would be wise to start making calls now.
This could be much ado about nothing
Again this goes back to Dorsey’s comments before the use of the word yet. Also this factors in the fact that Kareem Hunt may be missing quite a bit of time this season, if he plays at all. Hunt may not even be active before the trade deadline which could make the prospect of trading Duke Johnson less attractive.
Cleveland could also be looking into having multiple running backs on the roster capable of making plays at any given moment. This would point towards keeping Duke Johnson and not trading him elsewhere.
At this moment in time Duke Johnson is a running back for the Cleveland Browns. Whether that changes or not in the future remains to be seen. However this will add some intrigue as the team prepares for next season.
