Draft Pick Acquired for Duke Johnson Officially Becomes a Third Round Pick
When the Cleveland Browns agreed to trade Duke Johnson to the Houston Texans, they received a fourth round pick in 2020 that would become a third round pick if he was active for 10 games in 2019. Johnson will be active against the Baltimore Ravens Sunday, which is his 10th game this season, so the Browns will officially get the Texans third round pick in 2020.
The trade was as a result of Johnson demanding he be traded, feeling he wasn't wanted by the Browns and coming to the conclusion this was the best move for both sides. Browns general manager John Dorsey made the most out of a bad situation, being able to acquire a third round pick, which ends up being remarkably high value for a running back in trade.
Johnson has been effective for the Texans this season, rushing for 287 yards and a touchdown on 54 carries. He's also caught 22 passes for 228 more yards and another pair of touchdowns. He also has been utilized as an effective pass blocker as he was with the the Browns.
For the Browns, they're gonna need that pick as they have a number of holes to address, including offensive tackle, safety, wide receiver and linebacker. Kareem Hunt, coming off suspension and playing the past two games, has been able to fill the void left by Johnson.
The Browns undoubtedly would've benefited from having Johnson for the first eight games of this season, now at 4-6. Nevertheless, the added draft asset could be helpful in addressing the rest of the team this coming offseason.
The Browns currently have seven draft picks in 2020. They have control their own first four picks, plus the Texans third acquired in the trade for Duke Johnson. They don't have their own fifth round pick, having traded it for Wyatt Teller, but they have an extra sixth round pick, which they got in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals for Jamar Taylor. They don't have a seventh round pick as it was traded for Taywan Taylor from the Tennessee Titans.
