Randy "Duke" Johnson Jr. (born September 23, 1993) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

who played eight seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was selected by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

in the third round (77th overall) of the

2015 NFL draft The 2015 NFL draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football, football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park ...

after playing

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

. He played in the NFL for the Browns,

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

, and

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

Early life

Johnson attended Miami Norland Senior High School in

Miami Gardens, Florida Miami Gardens is a city in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb of Miami and located north of Greater Downtown Miami, downtown Miami with city boundaries that stretch from Interstate 95 in Florida, I-95 and N ...

, where he played

and ran track. As a sophomore, Johnson ran for 1,540 yards and 25

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s. In his junior year, he led Norland to a 13–2 record and state runner-up. After beating the Sammy Watkins-led South Fort Myers 44–28 in the semifinals, Norland lost 44–34 to the unbeaten Tampa Jefferson in the class 3A final. During his senior year, Johnson compiled 1,957 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns, 14 receptions for 232 receiving yards and three touchdowns, three kickoff returns and one

punt return Punt or punting may refer to: Boats * Punt (boat), a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow developed on the River Thames * Falmouth Quay Punt, a small sailing vessel hired by ships anchored in Falmouth harbour * Norfolk Punt, a type of racing ...

for scores, as he led Miami Norland to 15–0 finish and state Class 5A championship. In the championship game against Wakulla, he scored five touchdowns. He was also on the school's track & field team, where he was a standout sprinter and

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

er. He placed 5th in the long jump event at the 2010 GMAC Qualifiers, with a jump of 6.60 meters. In 2011, he placed 4th in the 100 meters at the 3rd Annual Miramar Invitational, recording a career-best time of 10.62 seconds. He finished 3rd in the 200 meters at the FHSAA 3A District 16, with a time of 22.31 seconds. He was considered the best all-purpose

recruit by Rivals.com.

College career

Johnson attended and played

at the

from 2012 to 2014. In his freshman season, he rushed for 947 yards on 139 carries with ten touchdowns and caught 27 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown. He also threw an additional touchdown in a 41–40 loss to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. He also played a major role on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

, where he returned 28 kicks for two touchdowns. In 2012, Johnson won both the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year awards. He became the first Miami Hurricane to win both awards. In 2013, Johnson joined the Miami indoor track team, posting a personal-best time of 6.92 seconds in the

60 meters 60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At indoor events, the 60 metres is run on lanes set out in the mi ...

at New Mexico Classic. Johnson's sophomore campaign with the Hurricane's football team came to an abrupt end on November 2, 2013, when he broke his ankle against arch-rival

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

. Miami lost that game 41–14. Through eight games, Johnson rushed for 920 yards on 145 carries, with six touchdowns. He also had four catches for 77 yards. Johnson returned from the injury his junior season in 2014 to play in all 13 games. During the season, he passed

Ottis Anderson Ottis Jerome Anderson (born January 19, 1957) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a running back for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the St. Louis Cardinals (NFL), St. Louis Cardi ...

to become the Hurricanes' all-time rushing yards leader. He ended the 2014 season with 1,652 yards and 10 touchdowns. After his junior season, Johnson decided to forgo his senior season and declared for the

. He finished his college career with 3,519 rushing yards on 526 carries with 26 touchdowns, and had 69 receptions for 719 yards and four touchdowns.

College statistics

Professional career

Pre-draft

On December 28, 2014, Johnson announced his decision to forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the

. Johnson attended the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

and performed a few combine drills before sustaining a

hamstring A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. Etymology The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...

injury. Due to his hamstring, he skipped the three-cone drill and short shuttle and voluntarily chose to skip the

bench press The bench press or chest press is a weight training exercise where a person presses a weight upwards while lying horizontally on a weight training bench. The bench press is a Compound movements, compound movement, with the primary muscles involved ...

. On April 1, 2015, Johnson participated at Miami's

pro day The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

and chose to perform the majority of combine drills, but elected to skip the broad jump. He improved his 40-yard dash (4.51s), 20-yard dash (2.57s), 10-yard dash (1.58s), and

vertical jump A vertical jump or vertical leap is the act of jumping upwards into the air. It can be an exercise for building both endurance and strength, and is also a standard test for measuring athletic performance. It may also be referred to as a ''Sargent ...

(35") and also completed the bench press (18), short shuttle (4.16s), and three-cone drill (6.88s). Scouts and team representatives from all 32 NFL teams attended Miami's pro day, including head coaches Mike Tomlin

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

, Todd Bowles

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

, and Sean Payton

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

. He also attended private workouts and visits with the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

and

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Johnson was projected to be a second round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the fourth best running back prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com and NFL analyst

Mike Mayock Michael Francis Mayock Sr. (born August 14, 1958) is an American former professional football executive and player in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a safety with the New York Giants. After his playing career, he was a draft ...

, was ranked the fifth best running back by

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

and Scouts Inc., and was ranked the seventh best running back by NFL analyst Charles Davis.

Cleveland Browns

2015

The

selected Johnson in the third round with the 77th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Johnson was the sixth running back drafted in 2015. On June 16, 2015, the Browns signed Johnson to a four-year, $3.10 million contract that includes a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $710,092. On August 1, 2015, Johnson injured his hamstring on the first day of the Browns'

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

. He was sidelined for the next ten days, and was inactive during the first preseason game against the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

at FirstEnergy Stadium. During Johnson's first pre-season appearance, he was diagnosed with a concussion and was removed from the game. Throughout training camp, Johnson competed to be one of the primary running backs in the Browns' rotation against Isaiah Crowell, Terrance West, and Shaun Draughn. Head coach

Mike Pettine Michael Mark Pettine (born September 25, 1966) is an American football coach who is the assistant head coach and outside linebackers coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He was the head coach of the Cleveland Br ...

named Johnson the backup running back, behind Isaiah Crowell, to begin the regular season. He replaced Terrance West after West showed up to training camp overweight and was released as part of final roster cuts. He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Browns' season opener at the Jets and had seven carries for 22 yards in their 31–10 loss. On October 4, 2015, Johnson had eight carries for 31 yards and recorded a season-high nine receptions for 85 yards and scored his first career touchdown during a 30–27 loss at the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

in Week 4. Johnson scored his first career touchdown on a 34-yard pass by quarterback

Josh McCown Joshua Treadwell McCown (born July 4, 1979) is an American professional American football, football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college foo ...

in the second quarter. In Week 14, he had a season-high 13 carries for 78 rushing yards in the Browns' 24–10 win against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

. He finished his rookie season in 2015 with 104 carries for 379 rushing yards and 61 receptions for 534 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 16 games and seven starts. Johnson's 61 receptions are the second-most by a Browns rookie, tied with wide receiver Greg Little. Among rookies, Johnson ranked first in receptions and receiving yards among rookie running backs and second in receptions overall, just under

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

' Amari Cooper. Johnson was ranked sixth overall among rookies in receiving yards and was one of six rookies to surpass 500 yards receiving.

2016

On January 4, 2016, the Cleveland Browns fired head coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer after the Browns finished with a 3–13 record in 2015. During training camp, Johnson competed to be the starting running back against Isaiah Crowell. Head coach Hue Jackson officially named Johnson the backup running back, behind Isaiah Crowell, to start the regular season in 2016. In Week 3, Johnson had a season-high ten carries for 69 yards and also caught five passes for 12 yards during a 30–24 loss at the

. On October 16, 2016, Johnson had four carries for 18 yards and four receptions for 56 yards while also scoring his first rushing touchdown during a 28–26 loss at the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

in Week 6. On October 30, 2016, Johnson caught six passes for a season-high 87 yards and had four carries for 29 rushing yards as the Browns lost 31–28 against the Jets in Week 8. Johnson finished the 2016 season with 73 carries for 358 rushing yards (4.9 yards per carry) and a touchdown and 53 receptions for 514 receiving yards in 16 games and one start. Johnson served as a punt returner in 2016 and had 17 returns for 112 yards. He also had two fumbles and recorded two solo tackles in special teams.

2017

Johnson shared the Browns' backfield with Isaiah Crowell in the 2017 season. In Week 15, against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

, he became the first NFL running back since

Herschel Walker Herschel Junior Walker (born March 3, 1962) is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He was also the Republican nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election ...

in 1986–1988 to record at least 500 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons. Overall, he finished the 2017 season with 348 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, 74 receptions, 693 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns as the Browns struggled to only the second 0–16 season in NFL history.

2018

On June 7, 2018, the Cleveland Browns signed Johnson to a three-year, $15.61 million contract extension with $7.75 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $3 million. Going into the 2018 season, Johnson shared the backfield with

Carlos Hyde Carlos Hyde (born September 20, 1990) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes football, Ohio Stat ...

and rookie Nick Chubb. Through the first six games, Johnson retained his familiar role as a runner and catcher totaling 111 rushing yards and 14 receptions for 164 receiving yards. Before Week 7, Hyde was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars. In Week 9, against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, he had nine receptions for 78 yards and two touchdowns in the 37–21 loss. Overall, he finished the 2018 season with 201 rushing yards to go along with 47 receptions for 429 yards and three touchdowns.

Houston Texans

On August 8, 2019, Johnson was traded to the

for a conditional 2020 fourth-round pick that can become a third-round pick if active on the Texans roster for 10 games. Johnson made his debut with the Texans in Week 1 against the Saints. In the game, Johnson rushed nine times for 57 yards and caught four passes for 33 yards in the 30–28 loss. Overall, Johnson finished the 2019 season with 410 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with 44 receptions for 410 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. In the 2020 season, Johnson appeared in 11 games and finished with 77 carries for 235 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown to go along with 28 receptions for 249 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. On February 26, 2021, Johnson was released by the Texans.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On September 6, 2021, Johnson was signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

of the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

. He was released on September 16.

Miami Dolphins

On October 26, 2021, Johnson was signed to the Dolphins practice squad. On December 19, 2021, in his first home game with the Dolphins, Johnson rushed for a career high 107 yards and two touchdowns in a 31–24 win against the Jets. The next day, Johnson was signed to the Dolphins' active roster. He finished the 2021 season with 71 carries for 330 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with four receptions for 41 receiving yards.

Buffalo Bills

On March 22, 2022, Johnson signed with the Bills on a one-year deal. He was released on August 30, 2022, and signed to the practice squad the next day. His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on January 22, 2023.

Retirement

Johnson announced his retirement from the NFL on May 5, 2024.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

He is the cousin of professional basketball player Dewan Hernandez.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Duke 1993 births Living people Players of American football from Miami Miami Norland Senior High School alumni American football running backs Miami Hurricanes football players Cleveland Browns players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Jacksonville Jaguars players Miami Dolphins players Buffalo Bills players Miami Hurricanes men's track and field athletes Track and field athletes from Miami