The Houston Texans figured out their running back position on Thursday by acquiring former Cleveland Brown Duke Johnson. In return, the four-heading general manager sent Cleveland a fourth-round pick in 2020 that will convey to a third if he plays more than ten games.
Labeled a third-down back in Cleveland, due to his route-running and versatility, many assume Johnson will do the same in Houston, except for coach Bill O’Brien.
“Duke’s a first-, second-, third-down running back,” said O’Brien Saturday at Houston Methodist Training Center. “Good in the running game, good in the passing game, good professional.”
Though Johnson has been a Texan, officially, for less than 48 hours, O’Brien is thinking of ways to use a running back. “We have a vision for how we want to use him, we’re excited about it,” said O’Brien.
Of course, that vision has yet to fully come to fruition as Johnson is likely still looking for a place to stay in Houston.
“We just have to get him out on a field and try to start seeing him within the vision that we have for him,” O’Brien said.
Johnson is battling a hamstring injury that caused him to sit out Browns training camp. Rather than run through drills, he’s “taking mental reps” as O’Brien called them.
O’Brien won’t be able to see his new first-, second-, third-down back for a while, as he’ll sit him for next Saturday’s preseason game against the Detroit Lions. For now, Johnson’s role with the Texans is a vision filled with mental reps.
