Rumor: Isaiah Crowell drawing interest from “at least” three teams

The Cleveland Browns are coming off their best rushing season in 50 years and running back Isaiah Crowell is reportedly drawing interest from other teams.

Lost in all the hullabaloo over the Cleveland Browns “allowing” Terrelle Pryor to leave in free agency is the fact that the Pryor is not the only free agent the Browns need to pay attention to.

Right tackle Austin Pasztor, who did a pretty job in 2016 for a player who is actually a guard, remains an unrestricted free agent, with very few reports linking him to a potential suitor.

After signing right guard Kevin Zeitler and center J.C. Tretter, a move that pushes Cameron Erving to right tackle and a training camp battle with Shon Coleman, it appears somewhat unlikely that Pasztor will be back with the Browns this fall.

It is a different story of running back Isaiah Crowell, however, who is reportedly drawing interest from “at least three teams,” according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler:

The Browns placed a second-round tender on Crowell following the 2016 season. They have reportedly been working on a new deal with Crowell, who is coming off the best season of his three-year NFL career.

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In the first year of running in head coach Hue Jackson’s offense, Crowell led the Browns with 952 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He also combined with Duke Johnson to help Cleveland average 4.9 yards per carry – the highest per-carry average for the Browns in 50 years.

While the Browns certainly covet second-round draft picks, coming off the year they just had would make it prudent for the club to keep the Crowell-Johnson combo intact.

As to the report that “at least three teams” are interested in Crowell, it is a bit hard to know what to make of that, especially given the current state of running backs in free agency.

The situation, to put it bluntly, has been grim for running backs, according to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert:

"… the NFL has expressed figurative indifference to some players with histories of significant success, including: Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles, Eddie Lacy and Latavius Murray. Some are taking visits, but no team felt compelled to make them an offer they couldn’t refuse and, with each passing day, the pool of available money shrinks."

"The reasons should be clear. The 2017 draft is stocked with running backs of every desired profile. And a recent ESPN Stats & Informaton analysis of the running back position continues to support the accepted theory that they decline sooner and faster than players at other skill positions."

"Tailbacks who have played at least four seasons and received at least 75 attempts in each season peak at age 26 on average. By age 29, their production has dropped by 26 percent, and by 41 percent at age 32. NFL teams pay free agents for projected production, not past achievement. Generally speaking, teams have no incentive to spend real money on running backs when they can draft players who are fresher and more likely to be productive."

Crowell just turned 24 in January, so he has two more seasons before he hits his peak and starts to decline. There is little doubt that the Browns are aware of the career trajectory of running backs and will factor that into their contract talks with Crowell.

If his agents take a hard line believing that there is a pot of gold waiting from another team (see Pryor, Terrelle), the Browns may be happy to let Crowell walk, pocket another second-round draft pick, and then select a running back at some point during the upcoming 2017 NFL Draft.

That is probably looking a little too far down the road at this point, as the Browns have the cap space to match any offer Crowell receives and have other holes to fill on the roster without creating a new one.

Next: Free agency shows culture is changing with Browns

But as we’ve all seen over the past few days, anything is possible when it comes to free agency and the Browns.