The Cleveland Browns had a lot of changes to make this offseason to ensure they don’t repeat last year’s 3-14 campaign that featured the league’s lowest-scoring offense and worst turnover differential.
After a fairly quiet free-agency period, Cleveland made plenty of noise in the draft, including at the running back position, which has led one analyst to believe that a returning veteran is facing a “make-or-break” season in 2025.
During a recent episode of The Return With Josh & Maria Cribbs, producer Ryan Tyler said that Nick Chubb might not be the only veteran running back ousted from the roster.
“Jerome Ford kind of just seems like he’s on his way out of here.”
Is this a make-or-break season for Jerome Ford this year to make his mark on the team somehow?
"Jerome Ford kind of just seems like he's on his way out of here."
–@Ryantyler33 pic.twitter.com/froOaaCN3H
— The Return With Josh & Maria Cribbs (@TheCribbsShow) May 31, 2025
Cleveland hasn’t had a 100-yard rusher in a game since Jerome Ford ran for 107 yards in Week 10 of the 2023 season, so it was clear the room needed an upgrade, especially with Chubb hitting free agency after averaging just 3.3 yards per carry this past season.
Second-round pick Quinshon Judkins and fourth-round pick Dylan Sampson both join the squad after accomplished careers at big college programs, and they should easily step into prominent roles in the offense immediately.
Ford’s touches aren’t secure given how talented Judkins and Sampson are, though he did average an impressive 5.4 yards per carry last season while toting the rock 104 times.
He will have to quickly prove that wasn’t a fluke to withhold a sizeable role in this offense and hold off these rookies from eating into his workload, otherwise, Tyler could be proven right.
Ford is still just 25 and should have plenty of successful years ahead of him, but it will be interesting to see how he fits into this new backfield.
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