The Cleveland Browns have a major question mark in their running back room, and it just so happens to be the second-largest question mark for them headed into free agency.
Nick Chubb, Cleveland's beloved running back and one of the major faces of the Browns franchise, is a free agent able to sign anywhere other Cleveland this offseason. It could not be held against him if he decided to do so, but losing him would be a major blow to the Browns' running back room altogether.
We've yet to see a healthy start to a season for him since 2022, and he could help the offense in a huge way as they seek to recover from an abysmal season on the ground. But, we have to consider the possibility of another running back needy team swooping in for his services. That said, what could the Browns' running back room look like to kick off 2025?
Predicting the Browns' running back room for 2025
Cleveland is going to enter the 2025 season with Jerome Ford under contract. This is great, since Ford showed flashes of strong running throughout the year but had some inconsistencies in his explosiveness. He's still going to be a great late down runner for the Browns headed into 2025, as his 5.4 yards per carry ended up being the best in the running back room in 2024.
Aside from Ford, we can predict that the Browns are going to restructure their cap space and manage to re-sign Chubb to a team-friendly deal - one with tons of incentives for reaching a certain amount of yards on the season, and for reaching an All-Pro team or Pro Bowl appearance.
Read more: Cowboys seem primed to repeat Browns' mistake from 2024 offseason
Chubb is too important to the game planning the Browns are going with in 2025. They're likely to re-focus their offense around the ground game as the quarterback situation for them is still up in the air. With no answers at signal caller, but with an opportunity to re-sign a veteran like Chubb to lead their offense, it makes sense to work something out with him to ensure some consistency on offense.
Even if he can touch his rookie season numbers - 996 total rushing yards, eight touchdowns, and 5.2 yards per carry - he could immediately become the team's number one option on the ground again. Having Ford right behind him in the depth chart would be a huge plus.
However, Cleveland will probably be unable to re-sign D'Onta Foreman, who is also a free agent this offseason. If they're going all in on Chubb, it feels like the logical next step to round out their running back room would be to draft one of the many talented runners in this year's class.
Taking either Omarion Hampton, Cam Skattebo, Kaleb Johnson, or Dylan Sampson with their earlier third round pick could help them cheaply round out their running back room.
This is probably the least exciting of outcomes for Cleveland as it pertains to their running back situation. But, if Chubb can stay in Cleveland - something he's expressed he'd like to do - he'll take the chance to do so, especially if he's able to secure a contract he feels like he can squeeze the most out of with incentives.