The Cleveland Browns have had a good run game led by Nick Chubb but going into 2023 there are questions about the group that remain
For the last five seasons, the Cleveland Browns have had a great run game in large part due to Nick Chubb building on a Hall of Fame career. Obviously, he has benefitted from an outstanding offensive line and that will still be there going into 2023. However, going into this season, there are more questions than answers with this run game. There will be changes in personnel and that will have a bearing on things.
Some believe that the Browns run game is set and has depth going into the season, but that's just not the case. Having Chubb leading the way is always going to be a luxury but besides him there aren't any other set pieces. Let's look at some of these questions that will need to be resolved for this run game to really be set.
Question No. 1: Will either Kareem Hunt or D'Ernest Johnson be back?
The quick answer is no, neither player will likely be back as Kareem Hunt and D'Ernest Johnson are both free agents. Hunt wanted to be traded in the early part of last season and despite him having a couple of good years alongside Chubb, his past campaign was a real struggle and he will likely look to find a new home elsewhere.
Johnson is also likely to be on the move, but there could be a chance he stays with the team as the primary backup to Chubb. Last season, Johnson barely touched the ball after being a good fill-in for both Chubb and Hunt back in 2021. That year, he ran the ball 100 times for 534 yards and scored three touchdowns.
Question No. 2: Will Jerome Ford be the No. 2 back now?
There has been some chatter in recent days that the Browns are comfortable with Jerome Ford being the No. 2 back going into the season. He was drafted out of Cincinnati and while he was the team's primary kick returner last year, he only carried the ball eight times for 12 yards. That's not exactly, what you might want to see if you knew he'd be the potential No. 2 guy.
Ford had a good career in college and has some of the same strengths to his game as Kareem Hunt had in the past. He can catch the ball coming out of the backfield and could become that third-down back.
In college, he was used a lot in the Bearcat offense being a workhorse for the team. He carried the ball 215 times going for 1,319 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also was used in the passing game where he caught 21 passes for 220 yards.
While all this would project out as being a good thing to come if he does take on the No. 2 back, Ford hasn't really taken a load of carries where anyone can safely say he'll be the guy. We are all hoping he can take on that role but we won't really know until we see it. I believe he can take on this new more important role with the team but not considering some alternatives would be a mistake.
Question No. 3: Will the Browns consider picking up a free agent running back?
Those alternatives could include the Browns going out and picking up a free agent running back. There are many options in this group and many of these players wouldn't cost the team that much. I wrote on a few of these candidates a couple of weeks ago and they include Raheem Mostert, Boston Scott, and Jamaal Williams. There's also Super Bowl winner Jerick McKinnon of the Kansas City Chiefs set to hit the open market.
Cleveland has options in this area and for them not to consider some of these more veteran backs wouldn't be good NFL business. We don't know yet what second-year player Jerome Ford will be able to do in a potential new role so it's smart to have back up plans.
Both Mostert and McKinnon are intriguing options as they eachh bring a lot of experience with them. Mostert had a couple of excellent campaigns with the San Francisco 49ers in 2019 and 2020. In that 2019 season, he had the game of his career when he went for 220 yards and four touchdowns in a huge playoff win against the Green Bay Packers.
McKinnon could make some sense for Cleveland as well. I say that for a couple of reasons. First he's a very versatile back, and has been used as a rusher but also a pass catcher. Last season in Kansas City he rushed the ball 72 times for 291 yards and also caught 56 passes for 512 yards and nine touchdowns. He's caught over 30 passes in three previous seasons as well.
The other advantage to McKinnon being an addition for the Browns, is that he started his career with the Minnesota Vikings back in 2014, the same team that current Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski once coached for. It could be a reunion of sorts for the two and that might help make this happen.
Question No. 4: Will the Browns draft another running back?
With the NFL draft coming up, the Browns would be wise to also consider a few players from this collection of talent. They selected Jerome Ford a year ago and adding more young talent can never hurt. The Browns have had the good fortune of having their running backs stay healthy and avoid major injury but, Nick Chubb will now be entering his sixth season and you never know when something could go wrong.
There are some talented college prospects that could be available in the later rounds, which is when Cleveland would likely pull the trigger. Those players include Tyjae Spears from Tulane, Keaton Mitchell of East Carolina, and Deauce Vaughn of Kansas State.
I'm a fan of Vaughn, who despite his 5-foot-6 height was able to help in a myriad of ways. In his three years at K-State, he rushed the ball 651 times for 3,604 yards and 34 touchdowns. In addition, he caught 116 passes for 1,280 yards and nine more scores.
Whatever route the Browns take, they aren't yet set at the running back position. While they have "old reliable" in Nick Chubb, that doesn't mean they are "set" like some are trying to say today. If the Browns intend on winning a Super Bowl one day, they have to keep trying to add weapons and that includes the running back position.