Ben Tate wants former Texans teammate Andre Johnson on Browns
Andre Johnson is not happy with the Houston Texans and one former teammate wants to have a reunion in Cleveland.
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Johnson Ben Tate was a reserve running back for the Texans for the past few years before signing with the Cleveland Browns to be the team’s starting running back and he posted on Twitter that he would welcome his former teammate to his new team with open arms.
A trade may be unlikely because the Houston Texans would be saddled with $11.96 million in dead money, but it didn’t stop Tate from imagining the possibilities, even if he admitted it was selfish.
And why wouldn’t Tate and the Browns be interested in the perennial Pro Bowl receiver?
Josh Gordon may never play again for the Browns as he’s facing a yearlong suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy and was arrested last weekend for driving while intoxicated and the team has little help on the perimeter to offset the loss.
The Browns decided to trade down to draft Justin Gilbert rather than draft Clemson’s Sammy Watkins who ended up going to the Buffalo Bills with the No. 4 pick the Browns originally held, and that decision could be one that stings for the better part of the next decade.
The primary reason Tate would want Johnson on the roster is it would give a legit threat of a passing game with either Brian Hoyer or Johnny Manziel under center so defenses won’t stack the box and make it difficult for Tate to find any room to run the football.
A trade may never happen, but you can’t fault Tate for wanting a player the caliber of Johnson on his team. Heck, every team in the NFL would think it’s “dope” to have ‘Dre.