Cleveland Browns: 7 players who could be gone after the 2021 season

2. RB Nick Chubb

There is a very good argument to be made that Nick Chubb is the best pure runner in the NFL. It’s impossible to understate how skilled he is, whether it’s highlighting his incredible vision, impressive power, or rare short-area agility. He is a special talent, but the position he plays is simply one of the least valuable.

Throwing the ball is the only way to consistently win in today’s game, and the front office knows this. Having an elite running game certainly helps matters, but it cannot carry a team to the Super Bowl.

Every team believes that they have the unicorn, yet no one does. Chubb is inarguably a special runner, but he is a running back nonetheless. The wide zone Shanahan/Kubiak-style scheme that Kevin Stefanski runs is designed to allow for pretty much any running back to have success.

Just look at D’Ernest Johnson’s performance against the Dallas Cowboys (not an exemplary run defense, but still), or what the San Francisco 49ers are able to do on a weekly basis with players many fans have never heard of.

If it happens, it will be very sad to see Chubb go. But paying a running back never works out. And in the position the Browns are in, making a mistake this expensive could ruin Super Bowl hopes.