Talk » General manager John Dorsey should take his time

and let the situation play itself out in due time." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteDawgs EDTShareTweetShareShareNo need for the Browns to rush the decision on Duke JohnsonPhoto by Jason Miller/Getty ImagesThe Cleveland Browns have several items to check off this summer during training camp and the preseason.At the top of the list is filling the open position at right guard. They also need to round out the second unit on the defensive line and work on the configuration of the defensive secondary. General manager John Dorsey may also have to do something about running back Duke Johnson Joe Thomas Jersey , who is entering his fifth season with the team and is currently seeking a trade. Johnson has been a bit of an enigma since joining the Browns as a third-round selection in the 2015 NFL Draft. On the one hand he always seems to make something happen when he has the ball, and he set a franchise record for receptions by a running back with 74 in 2017. But he has also seen his opportunities decline each year, from 104 rushing opportunities his rookie year to just 40 last season, as the Browns have worked to improve the running game. And after being targeted an average of 80 times a year in the passing game his first three seasons, Johnson only had 62 passes thrown his way last year and that number will likely decrease this year with wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. now on the roster.Johnson has shown up every week — never missing a game so far in his NFL career — and signed a contract extension with the Browns last summer despite experiencing firsthand the 1-31 nonsense of former head coach Hue Jackson.Now, with the emergence of running back Nick Chubb in the rushing game, the eventual return of running back Kareem Hunt from an eight-game suspension, and the elevation of the wide receiver group, Johnson is looking for a new opportunity somewhere other than Cleveland.Ken Blaze-USA TODAY SportsSo what is Dorsey to do?Befitting a player that three head coaches (two full time and one interim) could never figure out what to do with, exactly, the options are all over the board regarding Johnson’s future. There is the measured approach, as championed by Scott Petrak at The Chronicle-Telegram:There is the “let’s move on already” approach Chris Hubbard Color Rush Jersey , presented by Mary Kay Cabot at cleveland.com:Bonus points for letting Luther Campbell of 2 Live Crew help fuel your opinion:Finally, there is the unhinged argument of cutting Johnson and getting nothing in return to … send a message? … as presented by Nate Davis at USA Today:So back to the original question: what should the Browns do with Johnson?Releasing him is absurd and should be a complete non-starter if anyone within the halls of Browns HQ were to ever bring it up. Johnson may no longer have a role on the Browns, but it is silly to try and argue that he is not a viable NFL player. He’s tough, reliable and is an asset in the passing game. Saying the Browns should trade him for whatever they can get to eliminate a “distraction” is a bit disingenuous. Johnson’s trade request is only a distraction if the media continues to bring it up to the coaches and players which, when you think about it, makes the media the distraction. Johnson has said he will not cause trouble and there is nothing in his time with the Browns to indicate that he is being dishonest. It’s true that his time in Cleveland may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean that Dorsey should not maximize his value. Which brings us to option three, which is to keep Johnson on the roster — at least for now. It is likely that a team will find itself in need of a running back near the end of the preseason due to an injury or an unexpected turn of events with a player. When that day comes, Dorsey can then look to make a deal on even ground. Waiting will also give the Browns more opportunities to see what second-year running back Dontrell Hilliard can bring to the field. The coaching staff seems pretty high on Hilliard’s ability, but he only had nine receptions and zero rushing attempts last season, so maybe it would be prudent to see a bit more of what he can do before reaching any conclusions. If nothing materializes before the start of the regular season, the Browns can simply keep Johnson on the roster and make the best of the situation. Hunt will not return until the second half of the season https://www.brownsfanshop.com/Seth-Devalve-Jersey , and even though it will be the Chubb and Hunt show from that point forward, the Browns could use a player like Johnson in the early part of the season. The Cleveland Browns had the biggest turnaround in franchise history in 2018 as the team posted seven wins after totaling just one victory in the previous two seasons combined. The Browns will likely not experience another seven-win improvement this fall, but what is a realistic expectation for the team in 2019?ESPN’s Bill Barnwell took a shot this week at estimating an over/under on the number of wins for the Browns, and landed on 7.5:Barnwell hits on a few valid points, most notably when it comes to the team’s turnover margin, which is unpredictable from season to season. (Although the Browns can work to cut down on the number of turnovers they make, which would balance out a reduction in the turnovers they force.There are a few things, however, that Barnwell may be overlooking or underselling when it comes to the team. The first is there is no way to underestimate the impact of Hue Jackson, the worst head coach in NFL history, no longer running the team. Getting rid of Jackson easily adds two or three wins to the victory column.The Browns will also have quarterback Baker Mayfield for the entire season, and it is not unreasonable to expect him to improve in his second season.And while the schedule may appear to be more difficult Kevin Zeitler Jersey , consider that:Even if they had faced quarterback Andy Dalton for two games, the Browns were clearly better than the Cincinnati Bengals and the two teams are moving in opposite directions.The Browns were one final drive away from sweeping the Baltimore Ravens.Cleveland was a blocked field goal away from splitting the season series with the Pittsburgh Steelers.The Browns face the AFC East this fall, but outside of the New England Patriots, which teams in that division should the Browns fear?Cleveland also faces the NFC West, but get that division’s two best teams - the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks - at home. The Arizona Cardinals are a complete mess, and while people are giving the San Francisco 49ers a pass for 2018 because they lost quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to injury, the 49ers are as unproven as the Browns.The regular season is still almost eight months away, but barring a major injury to a key player or two, it is hard to see the Browns approaching double-digits in wins this fall.