What should the Browns do with Isaiah Crowell?

The Cleveland Browns are reportedly trying to work out a new deal with running back Isaiah Crowell, but talks may have hit a bump in the road.

The Cleveland Browns have a full agenda for the off-season with preparations for the 2017 NFL Draft and free agency as the team has both a surplus of draft picks and cap space to utilize.

One of those decisions in free agency will revolve around running back Isaiah Crowell, who just finished his third season with the Browns and is now a restricted free agent.

The Browns reportedly were talking to Crowell during the season about a new deal, but those talks have gone cold in the past few weeks, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:

On the surface it seems like it would an easy decision for the Browns to decide they want to keep Crowell. He led the team in rushing this season with 952 yards and seven touchdowns, and was second in rushing average at 4.8 yards per carry, helping the Browns hit a 50-year high in team rushing average.

And he did all that while playing with a passing attack that no opposing defense feared and an offensive line that was in a continual state of flux due to injuries.

But, as is often the case, scratch just below the surface of Crowell’s numbers and they may not be as rosy as they first appear, as Pro Football Focus revealed in a very interesting Tweet:

Now you can look at that stat in one of two ways. It may be an indication of Crowell’s big-play ability, which is something that the Browns offense has lacked for a long time.

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Or, it could be that this season was an aberration and the reality is that gaining almost half your season yardage total on just a handful of plays is absolutely unsustainable. If that is the case – and let’s be real here, it is – then Crowell will very likely return in 2017 as the same running back who entered this past season averaging just 3.9 yards per carry.

Even taking all that into account it’s not a surprise that the Browns are trying to work out a new deal with Crowell. He’s a solid running back and makes a nice combination with Duke Johnson. And while he may not be able to duplicate the kind of season he had in 2016, you can’t take away the fact that he did show an explosive ability that the offense needs.

The Browns also have too many other holes to fill along the roster without going out of their way to create new ones.

The team holds all the leverage as well since Crowell is a restricted free agent. If a new deal can’t be worked out, the Browns can place a tender offer on Crowell – either a first-round, second-round or an original-round offer – that would bring back a draft pick if another team signs Crowell to an offer sheet.

The Browns can also match any offer that Crowell receives if he enters free agency, and they can take the gamble that the market for Crowell won’t be so excessive that they won’t match any potential deals.

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Crowell may not be a top running back, but as he and Johnson proved this past season, being good may be good enough in today’s NFL. Which makes it pretty likely that Crowell should still be in a Cleveland uniform come the fall.