Tag: Duke Johnson

2019 Texans position review: Running backs

The Houston Texans’ season is over. Despite not making it to the Super Bowl, they got good production from rushers Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson.

The Houston Texans’ season is over. After finishing 10-6, they found themselves in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs, only to lose a 24-0 lead to the Kansas City Chiefs, who moved on by winning in 51-31 fashion.

With the season now over for the Texans, let’s take a gander at the running back position group.

The Texans entered the season with Pro Bowler Lamar Miller as the presumed starter. However, a torn ACL in the preseason ended that thought process. Despite so, Houston got production out of a running back room that they built in August.

Before the season started, the Texans acquired Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson in trades from the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns, respectively. The acquisitions proved to be good ones for Houston, as both produced in a big way.

Hyde led the Texans’ ground attack, recording his best season in the NFL in the process. The 29-year-old tallied 1,070 yards and six touchdowns on 4.4 yards per carry; first, second and second in his NFL career, respectively.

Hyde acted as Houston’s power back, seeing most of his snaps on first and second down. Though a free agent in March, he stated after the defeat in Kansas City that he wants to come back.

Johnson was complementary back in the Texans backfield, seeing snaps as both a runner and receiver. He recorded 820 scrimmage yards and five total touchdowns on the season, seeing 83 rush attempts and 44 receptions.

Johnson, 26, will be back in Houston in 2020 after the Texans sent a third-round selection to acquire him. He is under contract through the 2021 season.

Taiwan Jones and Buddy Howell round-out the group. Both played most of their snaps on special teams. However, Jones made, perhaps, the most clutch play of the season for the Texans, a 34-yard reception in the wild-card round to set up a game-winning field goal in overtime to beat the Buffalo Bills.

Bill O’Brien’s coaching staff brought back the fullback in 2019, drafting former Texas A&M 12th man Cullen Gillaspia in the seventh-round. The rookie played minimal snaps on offense but was a standout on special teams. In the playoffs, he had a lead-block to help Deshaun Watson get to the endzone against the Bills on a 20-yard run.

Johnson, Howell and Gillaspia will return in 2020 if they aren’t released or traded. Expect the Texans to either resign Hyde, go after a different tailback in free agency or draft a rusher in April.

Secret superstars of the divisional playoffs

Though any are unknown, every player in the postseason has the opportunity to turn that around. Here are eight such players.

Every NFL postseason has its share of surprise performers. Whether it’s Otto Graham in the Browns’ first year in the NFL schooling the Los Angeles Rams in the 1950 championship game, or L.C. Greenwood — perhaps the least-known member of the Steel Curtain front four — racking up four sacks against the Cowboys in Super Bowl X, or then-Bills backup quarterback and current Colts head coach Frank Reich authoring the biggest comeback in NFL history against the Houston Oilers in the 1992 wild-card round, or Washington running back Timmy Smith shocking the Broncos with 204 rushing yards in Super Bowl XXII, it’s just as likely that the most important postseason performance comes from a guy whose name you’re not familiar with just yet.

This postseason is no exception, and there are all kinds of potential stars you might not know who are mere hours away from their breakout performance. Here’s one potential secret superstar for each of the eight divisional round teams this weekend.

Danielle Hunter | Dee Ford | Harold Landry III | Matthew Judon |
Duke Johnson, Jr. | Charvarius Ward | Poona Ford | Kenny Clark

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Bill O’Brien: RB Duke Johnson has ‘fit in well’ in Texans offense

Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien says Duke Johnson has fit in with his team well since trading for him from the Cleveland Browns.

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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RB Duke Johnson has brought smarts and versatility to Texans’ backfield

Running back Duke Johnson was effective for the Houston Texans offense by bringing smarts and versatility to the passing attack and ground game.

When the Houston Texans waived running back D’Onta Foreman in preseason, they had to find a complementary back to starter Lamar Miller.

On Aug. 8, the Texans traded a conditional 2020 third-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for Duke Johnson. After 16 games, coach Bill O’Brien knows what the club got with the 26-year-old.

“Duke’s a smart guy,” O’Brien told reporters Tuesday. Duke’s a good route runner out of the backfield, but a good runner too, a good runner from the backfield.”

O’Brien and first-year offensive coordinator Tim Kelly didn’t simply throw Johnson passes, of which he caught 44 for 410 yards and three touchdowns. The former Miami Hurricane was also emphasized as a runner, and he set a new career high with 410 rushing yards on 82 carries and scored two touchdowns along the way.

“He’s done a lot of good things for us — really smart,” said O’Brien. “Was able to come in here and pick up the offense and help us this year, no doubt about it.”

Johnson never veered from his role. When the Texans had trouble at the top of the depth chart at running back with Miller tearing his ACL in the third preseason game, Johnson stayed in his lane as a back that could help in the passing game. On Aug. 31, Houston traded with Kansas City for Carlos Hyde, and Johnson was able to focus on his role and showcase his versatility.

Said O’Brien: “It helps because you can put him in the backfield, you can put him in different spots in the formation where you can try to get him matched up in space.”

The Texans will need Johnson to be as effective as possible with his versatility as Houston hosts the Buffalo Bills in the AFC wild-card Saturday at 3:35 p.m. CT. The Bills will be bringing their No. 2 ranked scoring defense, which gave up 16.2 points per game, into NRG Stadium to stop the Texans’ offense.

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13 players to watch in this week’s Wild-Card games

The Wild-Card games are coming up. Who are some of the key players to eyeball this weekend?

There will be players in the spotlight as the NFL playoffs kick off. Some are well known while others are going to be regarded as stars because of their performances. A look at some of the players to keep an eye on as the Wild-Card round starts the postseason road to the Super Bowl

A.J. Brown

Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Much was made of DK Metcalf and his muscular frame coming out of Ole Miss to the Seahawks. However, the Tennessee Titans grabbed their own gem out of Ole Miss in the second round, A.J. Brown.  The rookie season had four catches for 124 yards and a touchdown in the playoff-clinching win over the Texans.  Brown finished the regular season with 52 catches for 1,051 yards and eight touchdowns. Brown became the team’s first 1,000-yard receiver since tight end Delanie Walker (1,088) in 2015. Titansonline.com adds: Brown joined Isaac Curtis (1973), Willie Gault (1983) and Randy Moss (1998) as the only rookies with at least four touchdown receptions of 50 yards or more since 1970. Brown averaged a whopping 20.2 yards on his 52 catches during the regular season.

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WATCH: Texans backup offense scores first touchdown against Titans

The Houston Texans’ backup offense led a first-drive touchdown against the Tennessee Titans capped by a Duke Johnson run.

No Deshaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins, Kenny Stills, Laremy Tunsil, no problem.

With their backup offense commanding the ship, the Houston Texans used 15 plays and half of the first quarter to march 75 yards down the field to score the opening touchdown in their bout against the Tennessee Titans.

Interestingly enough, the A.J. McCarron-led offense led the first Texans first drive touchdown of the 2019 season. He has that over Watson.

Watch below. Running back Duke Johnson punches in the one-yard touchdown to open up the scoring festivities.

Johnson’s play followed the 4th-and-one conversion by third-string tailback Buddy Howell.

The Texans’ backup offense didn’t miss a beat. McCarron masterfully led an attack devoid of their signature talent. The backup passer from the Alabama Crimson Tide went 4 of 7 passing for 50 yards to get the Texans down the field. Carlos Hyde led the rushing attack, earning four totes for 13 yards.

That’s one way to spoil the Titans’ playoff hopes.

Bill O’Brien says the Texans must improve their run game

The Houston Texans run game, led by Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson, has struggled as of late. Coach Bill O’Brien needs that to change.

An explosive Houston Texans run game has died down as of late.

While the Texans boast the NFL’s seventh-ranked running offense (129.8 yards per game), they haven’t found productivity since the Week 10 bye, averaging 91 yards per game in their last three outings.

In Week 13’s win over the New England Patriots, the Texans’ rushing offense hit a season low, tallying 52 yards on 23 carries, good for 2.3 yards per run. Duke Johnson, a receiving back, led the team in rushing with 39 yards on nine attempts. Houston’s lead-back Carlos Hyde had a day to forget, compiling 17 yards on 10 attempts.

Houston has tallied 122 rushing yards against the Baltimore Ravens, 99 yards against the Indianapolis Colts and 52 yards against the Patriots since their 216 rush yard performance in Week 9, a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Though the Texans are getting done over the air, they must spark a run-game going forward through December football.

“We need to improve in the running game,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said Wednesday. “We’re going to work hard on that this week and see if we can get it better. This is a very challenging team, the Broncos, to run the ball against, but we have to — coaches and player alike. We’ve got to coach it better and the players have to work hard to execute it better, but we’ve got to try to improve in the running game.”

Hyde leads the Texans in rushing with 853 yards and four touchdowns on 184 attempts. Johnson trails with 385 yards and a touchdown on 74 attempts. Neither tailback can match Watson’s production as a scoring menace, as he leads the team in rushing touchdowns with five.

The Ravens, Colts and Patriots were tough tasks for the Texans’ run game. On Sunday, they will face a leaky run defense in the Denver Broncos, who sit at 20th in the NFL in rush yards allowed per game (113.7).

Deshaun Watson says Texans RB Duke Johnson is ‘a receiver playing running back’

Houston Texans running back Duke Johnson is “a receiver playing running back,” according to quarterback Deshaun Watson.

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.

Texans RB Duke Johnson is a mismatch nightmare for defenses

Houston Texans running back Duke Johnson may not get the most snaps, but he’s a lethal weapon for a star-studded offense that’s taking shape.

The Texans’ August acquisition of running back Duke Johnson gave Houston a tool not yet seen before in their toolshed. A 5-9, 210-pound dynamo out of the backfield, Johnson is more than a tool in the Texans’ offense. He’s a weapon.

Johnson, a former Miami Hurricane, averages a league-high (for backs), per Player Profiler, 6.5 yards per touch in the Texans offense. Through Week 14 of 2019 play, he is averaging a career-high in yards per reception (9.8) and carry (5.2).

Acting as a complimentary back to Carlos Hyde, Johnson has four touchdowns on the year (one rushing). The Texans have won every game in which he finds paydirt.

Johnson is particularly lethal as a receiving back, no matter if he does so out of the backfield or out-wide. Against the New England Patriots in Week 13, that showed in a win, as he caught five receptions for 54 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown.

Johnson is a mismatch as a receiver. The Patriots felt it. Linebacker Kyle Van Noy allowed the touchdown. The Texans tailback also gave Houston free yardage via a defensive pass interference he brought out of linebacker Elandon Roberts.

“I understand that Duke Johnson’s a really good player,” said Patriots safety Devin McCourty on Sunday. “Coming out of the back field is kind of tough, you know, KV (LB Kyle Van Noy) on the line.”

Johnson’s ability to cause mismatches stems from his speed, agility and nuanced route-running. It also comes from a Texans scheme that tries to get him in open-space as much as possible.

“I think it’s definitely both,” said Texans coach Bill O’Brien on if Johnson creates with schematics or skill. “I think that’s a good question that you’re asking, but in the NFL there’s definitely a lot of scheme and strategy and then there’s a lot of matchups.”

Since the Cleveland Browns selected Johnson in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, he is second in the league in running back catches (265), receiving yards (2,464) and receiving touchdowns (11).

Johnson’s stat line of 679 scrimmage yards and four total touchdowns may not scream centerpiece. However, his fifth-highest breakaway run-rate (8.1%), precise route-running, 16th-ranked juke rate (26.9%) and, of course, tape of creating mismatches certainly do.

Deshaun Watson, Texans borrow trick play from Bears

The Texans borrowed a page out of the Bears’ playbook with a trick play in their win over the Patriots on Sunday night.

Chicago Bears fans watching the New England Patriots and the Houston Texans game on Sunday Night Football may have seen something that looked familiar when the Texans scored their final touchdown of the night.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, with the Texans leading the Patriots 21-9, quarterback Deshaun Watson and the Houston offense entered the redzone. On first-and-goal from the 6-yard line, Watson handed the ball to running back Duke Johnson, who then gave it to receiver DeAndre Hopkins on an end around, then pitched the ball back to Watson as he dove over the pylon for the touchdown.

The score put Houston up 28-9 and essentially sealed the game while fans were going nuts over the fake play they just saw. But Bears fans have seen this done before.

Back in 2017 during quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s first NFL start against the Minnesota Vikings, the Bears ran a nearly identical fake play as a 2-point conversion following Trubisky’s first career touchdown pass. Trubisky handed the ball to running back Jordan Howard, who gave it to tight end Zach Miller, then pitched it back to Trubisky for two points.

Flashing back to the present, Watson wasn’t shy about revealing where he learned the play from following their 28-22 win.

“We were watching a game, and actually, I think it was Chicago that did it,” Watson revealed. “We brought it up, me and A.J. McCarron were looking at it, was watching film one day and was like ‘actually, we probably can run that.’ So we kind of through it out there to (offensive coordinator) Tim Kelly and OB (head coach Bill O’Brien) and Hop (Hopkins) saw it and Hop of course said ‘yeah, let’s do it, let’s do it.’ He was excited so we kept working on it, kept working on it, and we knew it was the perfect time once we got inside the 5 (yard line), it was going to come. It was good.”

This isn’t the first time a team took a specific play from the Bears. The Philadelphia Eagles’ famous “Philly Special” play from Super Bowl 52 that saw tight end Trey Burton throw a touchdown pass to quarterback Nick Foles against the Patriots was originally run by the Bears in 2016. Both plays were orchestrated by former offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains.

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