Browns coach believes answer to RB2 is already on team

After letting RB Kareem Hunt go this offseason, there has been much speculation as to who will replace him as Nick Chubb's backup. But one Browns coach believes the answer is already on the team.

"Jerome [Ford's] got a skillset that allows him to do anything and everything," run game coordinator/running backs coach Stump Mitchell said after mandatory minicamp. "Pass protection, we worked a lot [on that] this spring, so that was the really the only thing we didn't really have a good handle on because he didn't do it a lot in college."

Ford, Cleveland's 2022 fifth-round pick, had just eight carries for 12 yards as a rookie. However, Mitchell clearly thinks he's poised for a much larger role in 2023.

Ford had 1,319 yards and 19 touchdowns in his final season at Cincinnati. If he can translate his play to the next level, the Browns will have their newest one-two-punch with Chubb and Ford.

Some may believe there are better options still available in free agency such as Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette and maybe even Hunt. But if Cleveland is trying to stay younger at the position, Ford may be their best bet now 23 heading into year two.

Chubb is still one of the best running backs, if not the best, in the NFL. However, he is also turning 28 this year and we've seen several releases of veteran running backs in the late 20s as of late.

If Chubb begins to decline in 2023 while Ford finds his footing, we may just watch Ford develop into the Browns' next premiere running back.