Free agent running back Kareem Hunt, who spent the last four years as Nick Chubb‘s backup and occasional 1-B option in Cleveland, finally generated some interest several days ago, when it was reported that the Commanders had made “preliminary inquiries” into his services. The Browns, meanwhile, decided several months ago that they would allow Hunt to seek opportunities elsewhere and would move 2022 fifth-rounder Jerome Ford into Hunt’s place on the depth chart.
That does not mean, however, that GM Andrew Berry is averse to adding more talent to the RB room. Berry did not select a running back in this year’s draft and has not yet acquired a veteran in free agency, but Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com believes he will ultimately do just that. She does caution that high-profile players like Ezekiel Elliott and the recently-released Dalvin Cook are not likely targets, and that the Browns will seek a player that could be had on a more modest deal. Speculatively, a back like Justin Jackson, James Robinson, or Kenyan Drake could fit the bill.
Chubb, who has earned Pro Bowl acclaim in each of the past four seasons, will continue to serve as the focal point of Cleveland’s running game. Ford tallied a meager eight carries for 12 yards in his rookie campaign, but his efforts as the club’s primary kick returner (30 returns for 723 yards) suggest that he could be a useful complementary back and Hunt-esque receiver out of the backfield. Indeed, as Cabot notes in a separate piece, Chubb has lauded Ford’s pass-catching ability, and the Browns’ coaching staff and front office clearly have a great deal of faith in his ability to take on an expanded role.
Still, another experienced option couldn’t hurt, as the Browns lost D’Ernest Johnson—who impressed in limited opportunities over the first four years of his career in Cleveland—to the Jaguars in free agency. At present, 2021 sixth-rounder Demetric Felton (eight career carries) is penciled in as the RB3.
Chubb, by virtue of the three-year, $36M extension he signed in 2021, is under club control for the next two seasons.
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