Cleveland Browns 53-man roster prediction without Deshaun Watson

Cleveland Browns Running Backs (5):

Nick Chubb
Kareem Hunt
D’Ernest Johnson
Jerome Ford
Johnny Stanton

There’s no team in the NFL with as much depth at running back as the Cleveland Browns. They have two viable stars in Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.

Chubb is a workhorse that can carry the offense on his back. So far in four NFL seasons, Chubb has 4,816 yards rushing with 36 touchdowns — while averaging 5.3 yards per attempt.

His least-productive season in terms of statistics was 2018 when he was held back as a rookie by Hue Jackson and Todd Haley. Still, he had 996 yards rushing, and had he not been stuffed on his final two rushes (where he lost four yards) he would have still hit 1,000 yards on the year.

Behind him is Hunt, who led the NFL in rushing in 2017 as a rookie with the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s only played one full season in Cleveland (he lost eight games in 2019 due to a league suspension and nine in 2021 due to injury). That year, Hunt had 841 yards rushing and another 304 as a receiver. Should he stay healthy in 2022, there’s no reason to think his numbers won’t be nearly as strong.

Third on the depth chart is D’Ernest Johnson who could be a starter on a few other teams. He ran for 534 yards and three touchdowns last season when he got his break following Hunt’s injury.

With Hunt in the final year of his deal and Johnson being added for only one more season as a restricted free agent, Cleveland added Jerome Ford in the draft. He too can get it done but might be held back until 2023 simply due to the talent around him.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski still likes to keep a fullback on his roster, which is why Johnny Stanton is there — after they lost Andy Janovich in free agency.