Duke Johnson could be out awhile with hamstring

Browns rookie running back Duke Johnson, who figures prominently in the offense this season, could be out awhile with the pulled hamstring he suffered Saturday in practice, coach Mike Pettine said.

The unfortunate thing with Johnson is that he's had hamstring injuries before, and they often linger or recur. He had nagging hamstring issues as a freshman at Miami and they were at least a small factor in him wanting to quit football. He also opted not to lift or run shuttles at the NFL combine in February because of a strained right hamstring.

"I'll be all right,'' Johnson said Saturday after practice. "I've experienced much worse.''

Miami's all-time leading rusher, Johnson suffered a season-ending broken ankle in 2013, but didn't miss many other games because of injuries. Still, Johnson will have to take his time with the hamstring to make sure he's ready for the season.

Fortunately for the Browns, Draughn has been impressive both running the ball and catching it out of the backfield, and can serve the third-down back role that Johnson excels at.


(cleveland.com)