Earlier in the offseason, the Cardinals were thinking about turning Andre Ellington into a slot receiver. Now the Browns are mulling the same kind of move with Duke Johnson Jr.
Like Ellington (who’s now back at running back), Johnson is more of a third-down type back. Catching passes is what he does best. And the Browns have other runners they like. Isaiah Crowell is a better fit with Hue Jackson’s type of system, and should he get hurt, the Browns might prefer to replace with him George Atkinson, who averaged over 10 yards per carry in the preseason last year and carried 7 times for 34 yards in Cleveland’s Week 17 game last year.
The Browns need a slot receiver, and they might plug Johnson into that role. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com thinks it will happen.
“This isn’t a mistake,” Cabot writes. “He is the leading candidate to replace Andrew Hawkins as the No. 1 slot receiver.”
Corey Coleman and Kenny Britt look firm as the team’s starting, primary receivers. But they need someone who can play in the slot, and Johnson is one of the guys they’re looking at. The other main option, is second-year receiver Ricardo Louis; Cabot says he looked good in offseason workouts.
Johnson’s primary value, it seems, is in PPR formats. For those looking for a “handcuff” pick behind Crowell, Atkinson might wind up with that role.
Cleveland could still potentially use Johnson on some third downs, and it also has other running backs with some receiving ability. In the last two years, 25 running backs have over 500 receiving yards. The Browns are the only team to produce two of those backs.
| BACKS WITH OVER 500 RECEIVING YARDS (2015-16) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | No | Yds | Avg | TD |
| David Johnson, Ariz. | 116 | 1,336 | 11.5 | 8 |
| Theo Riddick, Det. | 133 | 1,068 | 8.0 | 8 |
| Duke Johnson, Clev. | 114 | 1,048 | 9.2 | 2 |
| Devonta Freeman, Atl. | 127 | 1,040 | 8.2 | 5 |
| James White, N.E. | 100 | 961 | 9.6 | 9 |
| Darren Sproles, Phil. | 107 | 815 | 7.6 | 3 |
| Giovani Bernard, Cin. | 88 | 808 | 9.2 | 1 |
| Danny Woodhead, S.D. | 86 | 790 | 9.2 | 7 |
| Bilal Powell, NYJ | 105 | 776 | 7.4 | 4 |
| LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 99 | 752 | 7.6 | 2 |
| Charles Sims, T.B. | 75 | 751 | 10.0 | 5 |
| Mark Ingram, N.O. | 96 | 724 | 7.5 | 4 |
| DeMarco Murray, Phi.-Ten. | 97 | 699 | 7.2 | 4 |
| Matt Forte, Chi.-NYJ | 74 | 652 | 8.8 | 4 |
| LeSean McCoy, Buff. | 82 | 648 | 7.9 | 3 |
| Melvin Gordon, S.D. | 74 | 611 | 8.3 | 2 |
| T.J. Yeldon, Jac. | 86 | 591 | 6.9 | 2 |
| Shane Vereen, NYG | 70 | 589 | 8.4 | 4 |
| Chris Thompson, Wash. | 84 | 589 | 7.0 | 4 |
| Kyle Juszczyk, Balt. | 78 | 587 | 7.5 | 4 |
| Lamar Miller, Mia.Hou. | 78 | 585 | 7.5 | 3 |
| Frank Gore, Ind. | 72 | 544 | 7.6 | 5 |
| James Starks, G.B. | 62 | 526 | 8.5 | 5 |
| Todd Gurley, L.A. | 64 | 515 | 8.0 | 0 |
| Isaiah Crowell, Clev. | 59 | 501 | 8.5 | 1 |
—Ian Allan