Will the Cleveland Browns trade Duke Johnson to Tampa Bay?
By Randy Gurzi
The Cleveland Browns have said they won’t trade Duke Johnson, but what if a running back needy team such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers makes a great offer?
Everything on the Duke Johnson front has been quiet lately as the Cleveland Browns running back hasn’t said much since making it known he still wants to be traded.
Johnson reported to mandatory camp after sitting out OTAs but basically said that he felt as though the team no longer wanted him there after exploring his value on the trade market and felt it was best to part ways.
The Browns have said there’s no desire on their part to move Johnson and things started to quiet down after that. Even with the whispers subsided, there are those who believe the Browns could still move Johnson — should the right team come along and offer an enticing package.
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One such person who believes that could happen is Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report. In an article where he tries to predict realistic trades, Gagnon has Duke being shipped to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team that needs a running back in the worst way after both Ronald Jones and Peyton Barber were less than impressive in 2018.
"“That’s concerning, considering that second-round pick Ronald Jones averaged an embarrassing 1.9 yards per carry as a rookie last year, and that No. 1 back Peyton Barber also struggled with a 3.7 yards-per-attempt average. ” — Gagnon, Bleacher Report"
While those two struggled, Johnson actually had a career-high 5.0 yards per attempt and is at 4.3 for his career. Johnson’s role diminished last season as he dropped from 82 rushing attempts in 2017 to 40 and from 74 receptions down to 47. There’s a chance those numbers can be even lower in 2019 thanks to the addition of Kareem Hunt, who will be a major part of the offense after serving an eight-game suspension.
Even with all those things going against the veteran back, Cleveland says they want him to remain on the team. According to Gagnon, the Browns could be saying this as a way to raise his value in a trade and he believes Tampa Bay could bite given their desperation at the position.
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Perhaps the Browns will keep Duke, but there’s still a long time until the regular season begins and a move like this really isn’t too far fetched.