The Houston Texans freed Duke Johnson of the Cleveland Browns. After much desire to get out of Cleveland, Bill O’Brien took up Johnson on his request, sending a conditional fourth-round pick that would convey into a third-round pick for the University of Miami product.
In his first season as a Texans, Johnson played a complementary role to Carlos Hyde in Houston’s backfield. He tallied 127 touches for 820 scrimmage yards and five total touchdowns on the season, ranking second in the NFL among running backs in yards per touch (6.5).
From Houston’s end, they have no regret trading for the 26-year-old dual-threat back.
“Duke has fit in well,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said on Friday. “Duke is a very smart player, he’s a very team-oriented guy, he understands his role, he’s really good in protection, he’s good at route running, he’s been good in the running game for the times that we’ve asked him to do that. He’s given us a little spark there in a lot of games. Duke has come in here – I think the fact that Duke is a good teammate and cares about the team and then is a really smart guy, I think that’s a good combination.”
On Saturday, Johnson will get his first taste of NFL postseason action, as the Texans host the Buffalo Bills, with the winner going into the next round. Expect Houston to utilize the 5-9, 210-pound back.
Johnson’s abilities as a receiver open up the Texans’ offense. His 410 receiving yards and 44 receptions in 2019 ranked 13th and 16th in the NFL at his position, respectively.
The Bills’ defense won’t be able to stack the box when facing the Texans. Johnson’s ability as a receiver forces defenses to spread out and play lighter. However, he can also exploit that, which the Texans do. Per Player Profiler, Houston runs Johnson against a light front 65.1% of the time, fourth in the NFL.
Johnson should be an X-factor for the Texans in the most meaningful game of his career.
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