HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) -- Duke Johnson feels like he gets put into a box of being an undersized running back who is not as strong as others.
Johnson, at 5’9” and 210 pounds, bucks at the idea.
At any moment, he could find himself picking up pass protections, chip blocking, or creating rushing yards where none exist.
Those or moments he relishes.
“For me, it’s just going out there and showing that I’m not what you think I am,” Johnson said Monday during a Zoom conference.
Still, Johnson and Texans newcomer David Johnson will pair as a dynamic pass-catching duo out of the backfield. Head coach Bill O’Brien has called them both “three-down backs,” meaning either or both could be on the field in any down-and-distance situation.
The Johnson boys, as quarterback Deshaun Watson calls them, will aim to create mismatches out of the backfield to put stress on defenses.
They want to torment linebackers and safeties, and force defensive play callers to make tough decisions about what packages they use to defend the Texans, who also have incredible speed on the outside with Will Fuller, Brandin Cooks and Kenny Stills.
So if Duke Johnson finds himself matched up with a bigger, old school-style linebacker, what’s the mentality?
“I have to win that matchup, without a doubt, without any hesitation,” he said. “That’s a matchup I have to win. There’s no in-betweens, no ifs, ands, buts about it.”
O’Brien on Monday was complimentary of Duke Johnson’s attitude and instincts. His role, O’Brien said, demands an ability to adjust.
“You have to be ready at a moment’s notice,” O’Brien said. “Different third-down situations, different first- and second-down (situations). He’s in there quite a bit, sometimes in there with David. We ask to do a lot of different things. He can return punts. He can return kickoffs.
“Really a guy that fills a lot of roles for us because of his intelligence and his instinctiveness.”
Duke Johnson said nothing has surprised him or stood out about David Johnson that he didn’t already know before the DeAndre Hopkins trade.
Duke said what will surprise a lot of people about David Johnson is how well he moves for his size and how great of a receiver he is out of the backfield.
