Browns free agency: Does Ezekiel Elliott make sense for Cleveland?

After adding several players on both sides of the ball this offseason, the Cleveland Browns roster is looking solid heading into the 2023 NFL Draft. However, there are still a couple of positions that could use more depth — including running back.

Cleveland does have one of the top backs in the entire league in the NFL with Nick Chubb but behind him, there are more questions than answers. With Kareem Hunt still a free agent, they have just Jerome Ford and Demetric Felton as their reserves.

That's why when The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show discussed some available free agents, they included Elliott. Brad Sellers said on the show that he was good with adding Elliot since he was uncomfortable turning things over to Ford if Chubb was to go down with an injury.

Sellers also added that Elliott is good in the locker room and good near the goal line (he did have 12 touchdowns for Dallas last season including a stretch of nine weeks in a row with a score). He added that as long as Chubb is there, he would be in a limited role that suits him — but can still carry the load if their star does get injured at any point.

Should the Browns consider Ezekiel Elliott?

While Sellers is correct that Elliott was well-liked in Dallas and can score when the ball is close, he also added that Elliott came from Ohio State — which was the same for the former NBA star. That could be one of the reasons he, or any other Cleveland fan, would be interested in adding Elliott.

Outside of that, there's really no reason to make this move.

Sellers says that he wouldn't trust Ford with the full load but Elliott cannot be trusted with it either. He's been declining in each of the past three seasons and averaged just 3.8 yards per attempt while pulling in a career-low 17 receptions and 92 yards as a receiver in 2022.

Truth be told, Elliott would simply be a goalline back at this point and even if the star player got injured, a trusted backup would still be needed to play ahead of him. Throw in the fact that this draft class is stacked at running back and the Browns could do much better to see who falls to them later this month.