Cleveland Browns: 5 players feeling the most pressure in 2016
By Thomas Moore
Hue Jackson comes to town after building a successful run game with the Cincinnati Bengals around running backs Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill and has professed a desire to do the same in Cleveland.
With the team focusing on other positions in the NFL Draft, the burden of turning around a rushing attack that finished a disappointing 22nd in the NFL in 2015 (with just five rushing touchdowns) falls on the shoulders of Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson.
While Johnson may never be able to duplicate the rushing success he had in college at Miami, he can be an explosive playmaker in the passing game, meaning that he should have no problem finding a role in Jackson’s offense.
Related: Is the running game OK?
The same may not hold true for Crowell, who is entering his third season with the Browns.
Fans still look at Crowell as the running back who averaged 5.4 yards per carry in his first five games, but we haven’t seen that running back for a long time now. In his past 27 games he has averaged just 3.7 yards per carry and only surpassed the 100-yard mark in a game once.
And while yelling “Feed the Crow” is fun to yell during games, it gets a little old after watching repeatedly misread his blockers and fail to hit the appropriate hole.
“We just have to erase the tape and move forward,” Crowell said about 2015. “I feel like Hue will do a better job so I am just happy about that I know Hue likes to run the ball. I feel like running the ball is a very important factor in winning and losing. I am happy about it.”
Crowell should have no problem making the roster this fall, but if he can’t rediscover the early success of his rookie season, there is little doubt that Jackson will find someone who can.
Next: Cornerback Justin Gilbert