Best Remaining Destinations for Duke Johnson in Free Agency

The Houston Texans are entering a complete rebuild and Duke Johnson fell victim to it, as he was released by the team. The veteran running back now enters free agency looking for a new team to call home. He brings 6 seasons of experience to the table and a reputation as a dual-threat player out of the backfield.

A number of NFL teams are in need of depth at the running back position and could look towards signing Johnson as a way to accomplish just that. With that in mind, here are the three best remaining destinations for him.

Duke Johnson Free Agency

1. New England Patriots

The New England Patriots should be seen as a top landing spot for Johnson given their experience with dual-threat running backs. The team is set to lose James White and Rex Burkhead to free agency this offseason. Both of those players thrived with the team catching the ball out of the backfield and signing Johnson is one way the Patriots could fill that role on the team. In his career, Johnson has 2,829 receiving yards and a 76.8% catching rate. Don't be surprised if he ends up in New England next season.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers struggled to find any type of production from their rushing attack last season as they finished last in the NFL averaging just 82.5 rushing yards per game. With starter James Conner entering free agency, the Steelers could look towards Johnson as a way to provide a fresh face in the backfield. Lining up alongside Benny Snell and Jaylen Samuels, Johnson would immediately become the team's top pass-catching back. This is a move that wouldn't break the bank for the cap-strapped Steelers, while also addressing an area of need.

3. New York Giants

The New York Giants are an underrated option when it comes to where Johnson will sign. While Saquon Barkley is cemented as the team's starter, the Giants do not have much depth behind him with running backs Devontae Booker and Taquan Mizzell. Johnson would be the perfect backup candidate for Barkley given his ability to rush for a few tough yards when needed. He rushed for 235 yards on 77 carries last season. Johnson's versatility makes him a perfect complementary back in this situation, and if injury issues pop up for Barkley again then Johnson is capable of stepping up as the lead back.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.