The New and Improved Browns Backfield Thread

[michaelredd9]

I figured I'd start a new Browns Backfield thread since the last one was locked.  Despite what Freddie Kitchens says, I believe the Dukester will be traded before the draft concludes.  He has a skillset that a lot of teams covet.  But most teams probably aren't willing to trade a high pick for him.  It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of teams have offered mid-round picks for Duke and the Browns are just waiting to maximize their compensation.  And running back is a position that can be drafted and played as a rookie so teams maybe want to see what running backs are available in rounds 2-4 before trading a draft pick. Maybe the Browns will wait until the trade deadline to trade him but Duke has higher trade value now.  Teams like to have their players before their season starts so that the player is fully conversant with the playbook.  And Chubb looks like he can handle a heavy workload.  Buddahj made a joke in the previous thread that they'd use the wishbone formation.  Lo and behold:

 

Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said Duke Johnson has "a role on our football team."

https://www.rotoworld.com/football/nfl/player-news

"I don't know why it's assumed that we're going to trade Duke Johnson,'' Kitchens re-iterated at the NFL annual meetings in Phoenix. "I don't know why we would ever want to voluntarily give up a good football player. Duke Johnson is a good football player. Duke Johnson will have a role on our football team." Kitchens later insisted he'd play the trio of Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, and Johnson together in the wishbone formation once Hunt returned from his eight-game suspension, subtlety suggesting it didn't happen out the gates last year because "Carlos [Hyde] and Nick are closer comparisons" than Cleveland's current three backs. Despite Kitchens' firm stance, it's still likely the Browns find a suitor for Duke closer to the trade deadline in October.

SOURCE: Cleveland Plain Dealer

Mar 27, 2019, 7:13 PM

Edited March 28, 2019 by michaelredd9

[michaelredd9]

[darin3]

And keep Njoku off the field?  Not happening.

[loaf]

Not much said about this here lately...still think it'd be a mistake to get rid of him before the Hunt suspension is over

[stevegrab]

 

Just now, loaf said:

Not much said about this here lately...still think it'd be a mistake to get rid of him before the Hunt suspension is over

 

Yep and Dorsey isn't making mistakes. 

 

Also don't think it matters much what is said, michaelredd9 seems convinced that he knows what will happen and ignores the words of team officials. 

[michaelredd9]

2 hours ago, darin3 said:

And keep Njoku off the field?  Not happening.

 

Yeah, I don't see how the wishbone could be strategic unless 2 of the running backs can block like a fullback.  

 

Edited March 28, 2019 by michaelredd9

[michaelredd9]

1 hour ago, stevegrab said:

 

michaelredd9 seems convinced that he knows what will happen and ignores the words of team officials. 

 

 

You can't be serious?  Coaches lie.  It's what they do.  Freddie Kitchens is going to act like Duke is part of their 2019 plans up until the day he is traded.  Do you expect him to say, "Duke is on our roster but I'm not game planning for him because I believe Dorsey will probably trade him before or during the draft."   What coach has ever been honest like that?

 

Stevedrab is a regular ol' Joe Friday.  No speculation.  Just the facts, ma'am.

 

Edited March 28, 2019 by michaelredd9

[stevegrab]

22 hours ago, michaelredd9 said:

 

You can't be serious?  Coaches lie.  It's what they do.  Freddie Kitchens is going to act like Duke is part of their 2019 plans up until the day he is traded.  Do you expect him to say, "Duke is on our roster but I'm not game planning for him because I believe Dorsey will probably trade him before or during the draft."   What coach has ever been honest like that?

 

Stevedrab is a regular ol' Joe Friday.  No speculation.  Just the facts, ma'am.

 

 

So you never believe a coach then, since they lie? Or you just believe what you feel is reasonable and dismiss the rest as lies. 

 

Yes the facts matter to me, some fantasy guy on a forum not so much.

[League_Champion]

15 minutes ago, stevegrab said:

 

So you never believe a coach then, since they lie? Or you just believe what you feel is reasonable and dismiss the rest as lies. 

 

Yes the facts matter to me, some fantasy guy on a forum not so much.

 

Everyone knows that coaches don't lie. Neither do Democrats right?

[JoJoTheWebToedBoy]

Just my opinion but I think Duke returns to 2017 form. With Hunt waiting out the suspension I get the feeling that CLE is going to want to showcase Duke more than last year to get maximum value and fill any need that might pop-up during the first half of this season. 

 

 

[League_Champion]

3 hours ago, JoJoTheWebToedBoy said:

Just my opinion but I think Duke returns to 2017 form. With Hunt waiting out the suspension I get the feeling that CLE is going to want to showcase Duke more than last year to get maximum value and fill any need that might pop-up during the first half of this season. 

 

 

 

I agree. It would be foolish to get rid of Duke at this point. 

[purplemonster]

I don't quite get all the Duke Johnson love here. He seems like a decent to good running back. But I haven't been wowed. And he's always been very fringe as far as fantasy relevant. And with Chubb and Kareem Hunt I guess I'm not seeing much for a consistent fantasy role for him. Don't get me wrong I think he's a good player and  probably underutilized some.  I play in a standard league so even less appeal to me, but in PPR he may be more interesting 

Edited March 30, 2019 by purplemonster

[michaelredd9]

1 hour ago, purplemonster said:

I don't quite get all the Duke Johnson love here. He seems like a decent to good running back. But I haven't been wowed. And he's always been very fringe as far as fantasy relevant. And with Chubb and Kareem Hunt I guess I'm not seeing much for a consistent fantasy role for him. Don't get me wrong I think he's a good player and  probably underutilized some.  I play in a standard league so even less appeal to me, but in PPR he may be more interesting 

 

I think the Duke Johnson love in this thread is more about real football than fantasy football. But he has been a decent fantasy running back even in a limited role. He could easily return to his low end rb1 production of 2017 if he were traded into the right situation.  Here is Duke's PPR fantasy results over his 4 year career:

 

          Fantasy Points   RB Rank   Snap Count

2015        155.80              24th         50.77%

2016        145.80              28th         44.37%

2017        198.60              12th         53.00%

2018        128.60              37th         42.07%

 

[michaelredd9]

15 hours ago, stevegrab said:

 

So you never believe a coach then, since they lie? Or you just believe what you feel is reasonable and dismiss the rest as lies. 

 

Yes the facts matter to me, some fantasy guy on a forum not so much.

 

Sometimes coaches and gms tell the truth.  Sometimes they lie.  They do whatever serves their purposes.  When it comes to a player who potentially could be traded, they almost always lie and say that they aren't looking to trade the player.  If they were to be honest about wanting to trade him, they would lose some of their trade leverage.  And if the trade doesn't end up happening, it would put them in an awkward position with the player.  Dave Gettleman said this offseason that they weren't going to trade Odell Beckham.  He said, "we didn't sign him to trade him".  Then he traded him.  Bruce Arians said this about Desean Jackson at the scouting combine, "I had a great talk with DeSean the other day and I'm really looking forward to working with him".  Then they traded him.  Kliff Kingsbury said that Josh Rosen is his guy and that he has the keys to the castle.  It's a lie.  They are going to trade him.  It is naive to presume that team officials speak the truth.

 

 

[stevegrab]

On 3/30/2019 at 3:45 AM, michaelredd9 said:

 

I think the Duke Johnson love in this thread is more about real football than fantasy football. But he has been a decent fantasy running back even in a limited role. He could easily return to his low end rb1 production of 2017 if he were traded into the right situation.  Here is Duke's PPR fantasy results over his 4 year career:

 

          Fantasy Points   RB Rank   Snap Count

2015        155.80              24th         50.77%

2016        145.80              28th         44.37%

2017        198.60              12th         53.00%

2018        128.60              37th         42.07%

 

 

Not sure why the bolded is not obvious, NFL player movement like trading has to do with real football, not fantasy scoring. If you've watched him play you know what he can do. 

[stevegrab]

Now Duke is asking to be traded, of course he has very little leverage. 

 

I understand he is not happy about his prospects once Hunt is available, but he has to understand the Browns still need him now, and the Hunt situation could change. (Heck Browns could trade Hunt instead.)

 

His contract is very friendly and not much benefit to trading him now, or later in the season as it relates to cap (trade after 6-1 saves cap now moving it to 2020). 

 

From the linked article

"The Browns have been in no hurry to trade Johnson because his cap number in 2019 is only $3.05 million. If they trade him before June 1, he’ll count $2.25 million against the cap in dead money, and the Browns will save $800,000. If they trade him after June 1, they’ll have $750,000 in dead money and save $2.3 million."