No longer does the picturesque running back look like Larry Csonka. With the game pushing passing to the forefront, football has new demands for a quarterback’s backfield-mate. The shift in thought puts a premium on backs that can catch and run-routes.
Duke Johnson, of the Houston Texans, is just that.
A 5-9, 210-pound Hurricane out of Miami, Johnson’s production as a pass-catcher can mimic that of a slot receiver. Since entering the NFL in 2015, with the Cleveland Browns, he sits second in the league in running back receptions (265), receiving yards (2,464) and receiving touchdowns (11).
Johnson tends to force defenses to alter personnel. On Sunday, the New England Patriots witnessed that firsthand, as he scored a 14-yard receiving touchdown while being covered by Kyle Van Noy.
Defenses don’t want to be covering him with a linebacker. Why? He’s essentially a receiver, according to quarterback Deshaun Watson. He has 30 receptions for 294 yards and three touchdowns in 2019.
“You have to pick either you’re going dime personnel and have a DB on [Johnson] or you have to put one of the linebackers on him, and linebackers don’t do too much covering,” Watson told reporters Wednesday. “They like to run fit and play zone coverage, they don’t play a lot of man. So, he’s a guy that’s really a receiver playing running back, and he can do a lot of different things that can help us.”
The problem for defenses — as coach Bill O’Brien alluded to on Monday — is that if they trot-out a lighter look the Texans can audible to a run for an easy gain. Johnson averages 5.2 yards per carry — rushing for 385 yards and a touchdown in 2019.
“He’s a guy that can run the ball, catch the ball. He can do it all,” said Watson.
The Texans take advantage of that, as indicated by Johnson’s 13th-highest shotgun carry rate (60.8%) and ninth-highest light front carry rate (63.6%), per Player Profiler.
Johnson has yet to be a permanent fixture in the Texans offense. With starter Carlos Hyde nearing 1,000 rushing yards, he may not be anytime soon. However, he doesn’t have to be to make an impact. All he needs to do is walk onto a field to send a defense into a flurry.