Cleveland Browns running back Duke Johnson wants to be traded, but whether it happens sooner than later remains to be seen.
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday that the Browns are listening to offers, while NFL Network's Tom Pelissero pointed out a potential trade has been in the works for weeks.
Pelissero adds the Browns wanted to see what happened with running back Kareem Hunt, who ultimately received an eight-game suspension, and the team isn't about to just give away Johnson.
As noted on NFL.com over the past month, it's been an ongoing saga for Johnson, who elected to not show up Monday for the Browns' first day of the voluntary offseason workout program.
The first reports of Johnson drawing trade interest surfaced in early March, and new head coach Freddie Kitchens said at the Annual League Meeting that Johnson would have a role in Cleveland despite the trade rumblings.
Johnson has three years remaining on his contract and is set to make a base salary of $1.8 million in 2019. It would make sense for the Browns to keep Johnson in the short-term when considering Hunt's suspension, and he provides much-needed depth in the backfield to Nick Chubb.
And there are other scenarios to consider. The Browns could decide to keep Johnson while Hunt serves his suspension, and then look to trade him before the regular-season trade deadline. Cleveland could move Johnson during the draft at the end of the month in exchange for more draft picks.
Either way, it's clear the Browns appear more than willing to listen to offers now and ship Johnson if the right deal presented itself.
