{"id":62640,"date":"2019-04-02T15:27:19","date_gmt":"2019-04-02T19:27:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=62640"},"modified":"2019-04-02T15:27:19","modified_gmt":"2019-04-02T19:27:19","slug":"best-team-fit-duke-johnson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/04\/02\/best-team-fit-duke-johnson\/","title":{"rendered":"Analyzing the Best Team Fit for Duke Johnson"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Amid a hectic afternoon in the NFL on Monday, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/browns\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cleveland Browns<\/a> running back <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/J\/JohnDu00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Duke Johnson<\/a><\/strong> signaled he wants out. Browns beat reporter <strong>Mary Kay Cabot<\/strong>\u00a0announced on Twitter that the versatile back and his agent have requested a trade.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Breaking: Duke Johnson&#39;s reps have asked the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Browns?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Browns<\/a> to trade him, a league source tells clevelanddotcom <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pWeTKOdQWw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/pWeTKOdQWw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MaryKayCabot\/status\/1112829946286784513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 1, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h1><strong>Duke Johnson Has a Healthy Market<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p>Less than an hour <a href=\"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/2019\/04\/01\/browns-emmanuel-ogbah-traded-to-chiefs-for-eric-murray\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">after they traded<\/a> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/O\/OgbaEm00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Emmanuel Ogbah<\/a> <\/strong>to the <a href=\"http:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/chiefs\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kansas City\u00a0Chiefs<\/a>, another Browns&#8217; player was the source of more headlines. Running back Duke Johnson, a versatile talent that can produce both on the ground and through the air, has formally requested a trade out of Cleveland.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson&#8217;s request comes several weeks after it was reported during the NFL Scouting Combine that the Browns were &#8220;taking calls&#8221; to gauge trade interest for him. At that time, at least three teams were interested but none of them were named.<\/p>\n<p>As of now, Johnson&#8217;s trade interest has not depleted. Reports from Monday afternoon listed the <a href=\"http:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/eagles\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Philadelphia\u00a0Eagles<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/texans\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Houston\u00a0Texans<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/jets\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New York\u00a0Jets<\/a> as the most likely trade partners for Cleveland in the event that Johnson is ultimately traded. The exact number of teams that have inquired is not publicly known.<\/p>\n<h2>Analyzing Johnson&#8217;s Best Team Fit<\/h2>\n<p>Looking at the three aforementioned teams that have interest in Johnson&#8217;s services, it&#8217;s worth taking a look at which team is the best fit overall for Johnson. A lot goes into facilitating NFL trades, such as compensation, scheme fit, etc. Below are the three known interested teams ranked in terms of the above criteria for acquiring Johnson.<\/p>\n<h2>Philadelphia Eagles<\/h2>\n<p>Yes, the Eagles<a href=\"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/2019\/03\/28\/chicago-bears-trade-jordan-howard-to-philadelphia-eagles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> traded a conditional sixth-round pick in 2020<\/a> for\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/H\/HowaJo00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jordan Howard<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0from the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/bears\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chicago Bears<\/a> just last week. Yes, trading for two running backs in one off-season sounds absurd. But allow for an explanation as to why this makes too much sense for the Eagles.<\/p>\n<p>The Eagles last week made a fantastic trade for Howard, which would make many fans confused and possibly upset if they turned around and traded for a second running back days later. However, Howard&#8217;s skill set has next to nothing in terms of similarities to Johnson&#8217;s. Philadelphia loves to split carries between two backs, so pairing Howard with Johnson will provide them with a strong backfield for 2019. The Eagles would use Howard and his downhill, between-the-tackles running style for early downs and deploy Johnson on passing downs to provide <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/W\/WentCa00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carson Wentz<\/a> <\/strong>with a dangerous receiving threat out of the backfield.<\/p>\n<p>In terms of compensation, the Eagles have more than enough ammunition to get this done. Johnson should not cost more than a mid-to-late-round pick, which is good news for the birds. Philadelphia is armed with two fourths, one fifth and one sixth-round pick in 2019.<\/p>\n<h2>Houston Texans<\/h2>\n<p>Houston already employs <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/MillLa01.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lamar Miller<\/a><\/strong>, but while he gets the job done, the Texans could surely benefit from adding a change-of-pace back like Johnson. Outside of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/H\/HopkDe00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DeAndre Hopkins<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/F\/FullWi01.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Will Fuller<\/a><\/strong>, Houston&#8217;s receiving threats are not the best. While Johnson isn&#8217;t a receiver on the depth chart, he still does his damage in the passing game. Adding Johnson to the backfield will also add a shiny new toy to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/W\/WatsDe00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Deshaun Watson<\/a><\/strong>&#8216;s toolbox on passing plays.<\/p>\n<p>Houston&#8217;s draft capital is also adequate enough to swing a deal for Johnson, providing that Cleveland&#8217;s asking price is in the projected mid-to-late-round pick range. The Texans own one pick in each of the final three rounds in the 2019 draft.<\/p>\n<h2>New York Jets<\/h2>\n<p>New York&#8217;s interest in Johnson is perplexing, considering that the Jets paid top dollar to bring in former <a href=\"http:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/steelers\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> back <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BellLe00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Le&#8217;Veon Bell<\/a> <\/strong>a few weeks ago. Not only is Bell an every down back, arguably the NFL&#8217;s best at that, but his skill set also shares a lot of traits with that of Johnson&#8217;s. Furthermore, Bell is also a more effective runner than Johnson and does the same amount of damage, if not more, than what Johnson does through the air. Johnson would be nothing more than a depth move by the Jets, which is what he&#8217;s been for most of his career in Cleveland.<\/p>\n<p>New York owns the same amount of draft capital as Houston, possessing a selection in each of the final three rounds. Beyond that, New York has a list of needs that will hopefully make them decide that they are not yet a roster ready to fill holes by trading for veteran players to serve in depth roles.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"VUlFZLwaTphXcZz5tLUYsw\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1087265406\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'VUlFZLwaTphXcZz5tLUYsw',sig:'HYelQ5JdZw8Zrgp3Vwm_I-MiXbpPyn11vcDACkWCczI=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1087265406',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Less than an hour after they traded Emmanuel Ogbah to the Chiefs, another Browns&#8217; player, running back Duke Johnson, was the source of more headlines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3017,"featured_media":62665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36,8,54,14,6,21],"tags":[264,1711,4044,61,114,218,40,46],"class_list":["post-62640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-news","category-browns","category-editorials","category-texans","category-jets","category-eagles","tag-cleveland-browns","tag-duke-johnson","tag-duke-johnson-jr","tag-football","tag-houston-texans","tag-new-york-jets","tag-nfl","tag-philadelphia-eagles"],"modified_by":"John Bava","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3017"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62640"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62640\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}