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Cleveland Browns running back Duke Johnson has requested a trade, but the Browns are not so desperate to move him that they will just give him away, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
There had been some talk earlier in the offseason that Cleveland would eventually end up moving Johnson, and the team's signing of Kareem Hunt essentially signaled that Johnson's time with the Browns was coming to a close.
Still, Pelissero is reporting that Cleveland would “have to get something significant” to give him up, so maybe there is a chance that Johnson ends up starting the season with the Browns?
Johnson is currently behind Nick Chubb and Hunt on the depth chart, but with Hunt suspended for the first eight games of the season, Johnson would surely get some playing time in the first half of the year, and his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield could be vital to the Browns even when Hunt does return.
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While the 25-year-old only rushed for 201 yards this past season, he hauled in 47 receptions for 429 yards and three touchdowns, which is actually on the low end for him given is career numbers.
Johnson, who played his collegiate football at the University of Miami, was originally selected by Cleveland in the third round (77th pick overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft.
He has never been much of a rusher, but in his rookie campaign, he caught 61 passes for 534 yards and a couple of scores. He then followed that up by snaring 53 balls for 514 yards in his second season, and in 2017, Johnson registered 74 receptions for 693 yards and three touchdowns.
