The Cleveland Browns are expecting Duke Johnson to be the running back of the future, and they’ve cleared a little more space in the backfield for the 2015 third-round draft pick.
According to the team’s official site, the Browns traded West to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a conditional draft pick. Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reported it’s a conditional seventh-rounder.
The pick for Terrance West is a conditional 7th rounder from the #Titans, source said
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 6, 2015
Now, Johnson is currently waiting to be cleared from a concussion that followed a brutal hit on a lackadaisical screen pass from Josh McCown. In the meantime, Isaiah Crowell is holding down the No. 1 spot.
But considering how much the Browns staff has gushed about Johnson even while the rookie was sidelined because of a hamstring injury, the starting job will soon be his.
Per ESPN’s Pat McManamon, running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery admitted the team doesn’t yet have a bell-cow runner but is looking to find one, and Johnson has an advantage because of his versatility. Montgomery said:
“The game today is a situational game, and you don’t know what personnel you’re putting out there on the field. You can go three wides, four wides or two tight ends-one back. It all depends on what the coordinator calls and what personnel he wants out on the field, and Duke can fit into all the personnels.”
Neither Crowell nor West are pass-catching backs like Johnson, so retaining both would simply be redundant. Plus, both players found themselves on the receiving end of criticism from Montgomery during training camp for failing to step up despite an opportunity to earn the starting role.
Although Browns coach Mike Pettine isn’t sure when Johnson will be cleared, it’s safe to expect Cleveland will do everything possible to immediately utilize the Miami product in various ways.
West is out of the picture, and his departure simply means the Browns are looking at Duke as a bigger part of theirs.