Ranking John Dorsey’s best moves in first year as Cleveland Browns GM
By Dan Justik
5. Selecting Nick Chubb 35th overall, trading Carlos Hyde
Dorsey and the Browns front office put a lot of effort into building a strong running back room. In the off-season, the Browns signed Carlos Hyde and signed Duke Johnson to a contract extension. But the best move that they made was selecting Nick Chubb with the 35th overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft.
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Chubb received mixed reviews from draft analysts, with some feeling that he could fall into the middle rounds. But the Browns made him the third pick in the second round and the results this season have paid off for the Browns.
Chubb has proven to be an extremely elusive and explosive back for the Browns. This season, he has rushed for 860 yards and eight touchdowns on 164 carries. He has broken multiple big runs, including a 92-yard touchdown.
However, earlier in the season, it did not seem that Chubb was going to be seeing consistent carries this season. Despite relying on the run game, the Browns made Hyde their featured back. Hyde was not seeing the same success as Chubb, averaging less than four yards per carry. Dorsey traded Hyde to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2019 fifth-round pick during Week 7, opening up carries for Chubb.
The Browns now have a running back that can handle a big workload and make plays on a consistent basis. Dorsey selecting Chubb may have seemed odd considering he already had Hyde and Johnson, but Chubb is quickly showing that he can be one of the next best running backs in the league.