Cleveland Browns running back Dontrell Hilliard seeking playing time

Cleveland Browns RB Dontrell Hilliard seeks playing time and makes the most of the opportunity to impress the coaches in the absence of Duke Johnson.

The Cleveland Browns second-year running back Dontrell Hilliard is seeking more playing time and is making the most of the opportunity to impress the coaches both at running back and also receiver — especially in the absence of Browns’ star Duke Johnson.

You might think that Hilliard will be the odd man out on a team that already has Nick Chubb and Johnson, with Kareem Hunt scheduled to join the team in mid-season after serving a suspension.

However, that’s not what it sounds like from the Browns’ camp. One of the takeaways from Thursday’s practice was that, according to Browns running backs coach Stump Mitchell, Hilliard is getting in some practice reps at wide receiver, even though he is nominally a halfback. That comes as a bit of a surprise.

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"“Dontrell Hilliard is doing a heck of a job. Right now we’re down some receivers, so Dontrell has played some receiver, and that’s making him very valuable to the team. He can make himself very valuable especially in third down situations.” — Mitchell on Hilliard"

Hilliard will probably not displace Chubb on the depth chart for most formations, but he could get in some game reps for third down plays. It’s starting to sound like he might split wide on occasion to see what kind of matchup he draws. If the defense covers him with a linebacker, it sounds like the Browns believe Hilliard can beat the coverage.

Last year, Hilliard pulled down nine balls out of 10 attempts. Because of the very small number of snaps, his stats have to be taken with a grain of salt, just like a young baseball player who comes up and smacks a few homers in his first few games. That’s great, but is it for real? Still, last year’s coaching staff thought enough of him to send him out on the field as a third-down back, while they had a healthy Duke Johnson also available. That tells us something about what the coaching staff thinks.

Johnson, however, has exercised his right to not attend the voluntary workouts, and that has given Hilliard a greater chance to be noticed. Mitchell had praise for Johnson, but also warned that he might be facing competition this season.

"“Duke Johnson is a hell of a runner. I would love to see Duke as part of the team in September. I would have liked to have seen Duke in this camp, though I know it’s voluntary…but when you don’t take part in this camp, you give someone an opportunity to play that may not [otherwise] have had that opportunity, and he might take advantage of it. Dontrell has been doing a hell of a job in taking advantage of the opportunities. His mindset is that he belongs here and can get things done. He can run routes and he can catch the ball.” — Mitchell on Hilliard"

This is a not-so-subtle message to Johnson that he might have to fight for a job, despite being regarded as one of the top offensive players for the Browns as recently as two years ago.

Could Duke Johnson actually fall behind Hilliard? It’s possible, but because Johnson is battle tested and has performed at a very high level, it would be difficult to dislodge him. With Kareem Hunt out for the first eight games, it figures that Duke will continue to take a large number of snaps. Believe it or not, even with Carlos Hyde and then Nick Chubb serving as the feature back last year, it was Johnson that led the Browns running backs in offensive snaps with 459, or 42.1 percent, or 64 more snaps than Chubb.

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Although Duke’s huge contract made him a tempting target to cut earlier in the year, as of March his 2019 salary became guaranteed and there is no longer any financial incentive to cut him. Between salary and bonus money, the Browns are on the hook for $4.55 million if they keep him on the team this year, spread between 2019 and 2020, according to Overthecap.com. If they cut him, they still owe $4.05 million, plus they have to pay someone to take his spot on the roster.

Hence there is no incentive to cut him now that the March deadline is passed. On the other hand, if they are able to trade him, they can recover up to $1.8 million of 2019 salary dollars, so that might very well happen. If they go that route, they will need Dontrell Hilliard or someone else to occupy Johnson’s role on the team.

The Browns sometimes used their halfback like a fullback in passing situations last year. Usually, you think of the fullback as someone like Orson Charles who is 249 pounds of piss and vinegar, and able to stop a defensive lineman in his tracks. However, both Johnson and Hilliard are much smaller and faster. The Browns roster lists Johnson at 208-pounds and Hilliard at 202-pounds.

In passing situations the halfback is often asked to just pop a pass rusher or force him to alter his path to the quarterback and then look for the screen pass in the flat. It’s then up to Baker Mayfield whether to take the screen option or wing it further downfield. That’s the reason that the Browns appear to be so interested in Hilliard’s pass catching ability and blocking, not only his pure running ability.

One thing to look for in the exhibition season (hurry, please!) is whether Johnson or Hilliard or both are allowed to line up in the slot or even split wide. In the past, this analyst has wondered if Johnson could convert to slot receiver as Eric Metcalf did in 1995. Metcalf’s situation mirrored Johnson’s in that they were running backs, loved by the fans but only liked by the coaching staff, which didn’t know what they wanted to do with him. When the Browns traded him to Atlanta, he became a 1,000-yard receiver.

Jarvis Landry has a death lock on the first string slot receiver position, limiting the opportunities for both Johnson and Hilliard to get game snaps at that position. Nevertheless, Johnson has an excellent catch radius and is able to line up in different positions on the field. Early returns on Hilliard are similar and the Browns may be seeing him as a more affordable, longer-term option as a “slash” player (halfback/receiver). If Hilliard can be a backup slot receiver, that might allow the Browns to pry loose an additional roster spot.

Hilliard is also a mainstay on special teams, where he returns kicks and also plays on the coverage units. He had a total of 149 special team snaps in addition to 58 snaps on offense. Johnson has the reputation of being an excellent return man, but he returned zero punts in 2018, and three in 2017.

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Running backs coach Stump Mitchell‘s comments about his charges are not earth-shattering, but he is probably being truthful in saying that Hilliard is making the most of his opportunity. He already cut into Johnson’s snaps in 2018, and that situation is not going to reverse itself if Johnson stays home. Hilliard has a legit shot at not only making the team but becoming a major contributor.

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