3 stats in which Cleveland Browns may see improvement in 2021

Three statistical areas where the Cleveland Browns could (and should) improve in 2021

We’ve already looked at three stats in which the Cleveland Browns could regress in 2021, and now we’ll examine three areas in which the team can improve next season. They are all quite important, so improvement in all three should lead to a successful 2021 campaign.

3. Rushing yards per carry

The Browns had one of the NFL’s most potent rushing attacks, ranking third in the league with 2,374 yards. Only the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens gained more ground yards, and averaged 5.2 and 5.5 yards per carry respectively. Cleveland was tied for fifth in YPC at 4.8, which is good, but not great, especially when Nick Chubb trailed only J.K. Dobbins in average at 5.6.

There are a few reasons for this discrepancy. First, Chubb had just 190 carries due to his knee injury, which led to Kareem Hunt toting the rock more than planned. Hunt is undoubtedly the best backup runner in the league, but in each of the past two seasons he’s averaged only 4.2 yards per carry, down from 4.9 and 4.6 with the Kansas City Chiefs. Hunt has excellent contact balance, but his vision is nowhere near as good as Chubb’s, which leads to some big opportunities missed. He also has a tendency at times to bounce runs to the outside, which is not his strong suit.

The offensive line also suffered injuries all throughout the season, and perhaps the most impactful was Wyatt Teller, as the run game suffered tremendously without him. The team’s yards per carry dropped by 1.6 in the games without Teller, which is unheard of.

Rookie left tackle Jedrick Wills also had issues as a run blocker, and should be much better in year two as he’ll have a full offseason of coaching and more comfort in the system. He was an elite run blocker at Alabama, and should be back to a similar level as a pro.

For all these reasons, and fewer carries in total, Cleveland should be more efficient at running the ball in 2021.