The Chicago Bears were considered a favorite to sign running back Kareem Hunt before the Cleveland Browns swooped in Monday and signed the young but troubled star.
Coach Matt Nagy’s familiarity with Hunt and the team’s suspected desire to find a better fit at the position for his offense contributed to the Hunt speculation, but don’t expect the running back chatter to stop now that Hunt is off the market.
In fact, Hunt’s addition to the Browns could make one of their existing running backs suddenly available for trade.
Duke Johnson, 25, is one of the league’s top receiving backs and has proven capable of success as a runner, too, when given the chance. Through four seasons in Cleveland, Johnson’s carried the ball 299 times for 1,286 yards and five touchdowns. He’s added 235 catches for 2,170 yards and eight scores as a receiver.
His dual-threat skill set is perfect for Nagy’s offense and at 5-9, 210 pounds, he’d do a better job as an early-down runner than Tarik Cohen.
Imagine the possibilities in the passing game with both Johnson and Cohen on the field at the same time? Wow.
Johnson signed a three-year extension worth $15.6 million with the Browns last offseason. The deal has him under contract through 2021 and is pretty team friendly. If Cleveland decides the combination of Hunt and Nick Chubb will keep Johnson sitting the bench most weeks, it might be willing to shop him for a mid-to-late round draft pick.
The Bears don’t have a lot of draft capital to work with, but GM Ryan Pace has proved in the past that he’s willing to move picks for players he thinks can upgrade the roster.
Johnson is that kind of player.
