Cleveland Browns: Top 5 opposing running backs in 2016

The Cleveland Browns run defense will have its hands full this coming season. Who are the most difficult running backs they will need to contain?

In addition to the challenges the Cleveland Browns’ secondary will face against some of the NFL’s best wide receivers this fall, the run defense will be put to the test as well.

Cleveland’s 2016 schedule features some of the leading rushers in football operating behind some of the top offensive lines in the NFL.

The Browns were ranked 30th in stopping the run in 2015, giving up an average of 128.4 yards per game and 4.5 yards per carry. Defensive lineman Desmond Bryant’s season-ending injury is a devastating blow to the unit, as his 24 tackles were most often dedicated to stopping the run. The Browns will need to adjust to Bryant’s loss this season and it will be an uphill climb for this young group if they wish to improve on last season’s run defense.

Signing Nick Hayden is an attempt to solidify the defensive line position, but the degree to which the Browns are successful in replacing Bryant remains to be seen.

The 2016 schedule has shown the Browns absolutely no mercy as it packed with some of the top rushing offenses in the game. While there are more than five running backs who may quite easily be troublesome to the Browns, the top five that Cleveland faces are in a superior category of their own.

Here are the top five opposing running backs the Browns defense will look to contain this fall, ranked from fifth to first:

Next: Justin Forsett, Baltimore Ravens