Duke Johnson trade may make sense for Cleveland Browns

Duke Johnson has yet to make a significant impact in the NFL, which is why John Dorsey and the Cleveland Browns may be smart to get something for the young running back in a trade this off-season.

Four years into his professional career, Duke Johnson has yet to live up to the potential. Drafted in the third round of the 2015 draft, Johnson was expected to be the change of pace back for the Cleveland Browns. Fans have said he has the potential to be the kind of back that Alvin Kamara is for the Saints, a do it all guy who can play out of the backfield or the slot.

Many fans have been critical of his usage, saying that when he’s in the game, he’s a dynamic playmaker, but fails to see the number of snaps he deserves. The stats prove that to be mostly true.

In his four seasons as a Brown, Johnson has averaged over nine yards per reception and almost 4.5 yards per rush, but he has failed to have over 100 rushes in a season since his rookie season.

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While he has been productive when on the field, perhaps the reason he hasn’t been used as much is due to his lack of performance in practice. Even with the changing of offensive coordinators last season, from Todd Haley to Freddie Kitchens, Duke failed to see the field in key situations down the stretch. Kitchens often opted for running back Dontrell Hilliard to relieve Nick Chubb instead of Duke Johnson.

If a player doesn’t see the field much for a year or two, it could be due to bad scheming or not knowing how to utilize that player. But after four years, there may be more going on with the player themselves.

While the team liked him enough to extend his contract through the 2021 season, there may still not be a good enough fit on this offense for him, either because of his ceiling as a player or the inability to fit into the teams wishes in terms of skill set.

Duke Johnson is still young, and has a chance to be a quality player in this league. But if Kitchens doesn’t have intentions of using him more, it makes sense for Cleveland to look to ship him to a team willing to give a quality pick.

While the team may not get back their investment of a third round pick, they still have a chance to get a day three pick, and can use that on someone that better fits their ideals in a player.