Browns stock report: Wide receivers rise while entire defense falls

Stock up: Kareem Hunt

It wasn’t a statistically great game for Kareem Hunt, but it was better than what we’ve seen over the last couple of months and gave a glimpse of how Hunt can help this team moving forward.

He finished with 32 yards on the ground but only on five carries. His biggest run went for 11 yards. He also took a couple of screen passes and ran for 22 more yards. Hunt’s teammate Nick Chubb really struggled to run the ball all afternoon, so it was good to see Hunt make some progress and keep the run game afloat.

He’s now collected 346 rushing yards and 149 yards in pass-receiving yardage. Both numbers are lower than expected at this point in the season, however, his value to the team over these last seven games could be bigger, especially with Deshaun Watson stepping in at quarterback in a couple of weeks.

Stock down: Nick Chubb

While Hunt’s game was pretty good, it was in contrast to the Browns’ No. 1 back Nick Chubb’s game-long battle. He finished carrying the ball for only 19 yards on 14 carries. It was the worst game of his career.

The only game worse for Chubb in terms of yards gained on the ground was in a battle last November against the Baltimore Ravens when he ran for only 18 yards on nine carries. Chubb’s season has gone south over the last several weeks. In the last five games, he’s only gained 330 yards. Between the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills games, he only went for 72 yards on 25 carries.

Chubb has been the heart and soul of the Browns offense, but his production has faded a lot in this latest disappointing season for the team. Can he turn things around this season? He still ranks in the upper tier of NFL running backs, but this losing Browns season has to be wearing heavy on a player like Chubb who cares only about the team’s success.