Cleveland Browns: Hard to believe Nick Chubb gets more touches

Head coach Hue Jackson says that Nick Chubb needs more touches, but the Cleveland Browns have said the same thing about Duke Johnson and not backed it up

Nick Chubb needs more touches. He not only needs them, he completely deserves them. The rookie running back is coming off his best game as a pro for the Cleveland Browns, and he was awarded the NFL Rookie of the Week for his performance.

The second-round pick ended the day with two touchdowns on just three carries. Both were long plays as he had 105 yards on the ground. Still, even with his 63 and 41-yard runs, the Browns kept him on the sideline for most of the game as Carlos Hyde ran it 22 times for 82 yards.

Going forward, the team wants to fix this. Head coach Hue Jackson has even said that Chubb needs to get the ball in his hands more often.

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"“No, just have to give him more carries,” Jackson said when asked if anything is holding Chubb back via Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com. “There is nothing holding him back. We just have to stick him out there.”"

That sounds good. But it’s hard to believe out of Jackson. While it makes sense they would want to get the ball to Chubb, they’ve said similar things about Duke Johnson, their speedy running back who also sees the bench far too often.

"“Yeah, obviously, he’s one of our better playmakers, and he has to touch the ball,” said Jackson about Johnson via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “Duke is a tremendous player. We’re glad he’s here, and we’ve got to put him position to make an impact because he can.”"

That was said after the Browns game against the New Orleans Saints and since then, his usage has stayed pretty much the same. Duke had six touches in Week 1 and five in Week 2. Since Jackson said they wanted more for him, he had four touches in Week 3 and six more in Week 4 — although if you count his usage on two-point conversions it becomes a season-high eight touches.

That’s not much at all for a guy who they call a playmaker. Which also makes it so hard to believe the staff will follow through and get Chubb the ball more.

Another reason it’s hard to believe is that offensive coordinator Todd Haley started the season saying they will ride the hot hand with their three capable backs and so far that’s not been the case. Johnson and Chubb keep making plays and find themselves behind Hyde consistently. Instead of rotating, they’ve gone with the bell cow approach — something Haley did for years in Pittsburgh and it may not be a strategy he ends anytime soon.

Yes, Hyde has been a solid player for them, but Chubb and Johnson both have been more explosive. They each deserve more carries and the offense would be better for it. The problem is, the team just keeps refusing to do it. So, it’s hard to believe it, until we see it.