Browns Trade RB Duke Johnson to Texans
By Sam Dunn
Duke Johnson Jr. finally got his wish. After spending the whole NFL offseason growing increasingly disgruntled from the Cleveland Browns and repeatedly insisting on a trade out of town, he's now headed out the door.
The 25-year-old running back has been dealt to the Houston Texans for a conditional 2020 fourth-round pick.
We’ve traded Duke Johnson Jr. to the Houston Texans
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 8, 2019
Details: https://t.co/e3swuboBmX pic.twitter.com/hB6sQtRKky
Known as a talented pass-catcher out of the backfield, Johnson gets a fresh start with a team built to compete in the AFC. His best season to date came in 2017, but his workload took a serious hit last season in The Land; he recorded career lows in both carries and receptions despite averaging 7.2 yards per touch.
And he was only becoming a bigger and bigger distraction at camp.
The #Texans traded a fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft that can become a third-rounder to the #Browns for Duke Johnson, source said.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 8, 2019
Lamar Miller is clearly established as the feature back in H-Town, but with the sudden departure of D'Onta Forman, the way is clear for Johnson to be the proper change-of-pace back to help take some heat off franchise QB Deshaun Watson.
Duke wasn't wrong to want a way out of Cleveland. And now, he's got precisely that.