When Nick Chubb went down early last season, the Browns turned to unproven second-year athlete Jerome Ford to man the running back position.
With Chubb’s timetable still undetermined, questions abound as to who will man the position until the star running back returns.
Cleveland signed two new running backs – Nyheim Hines and D’Onta Foreman – this offseason, creating doubt about what role Ford will play in the offense in 2024.
PFF analyst Sam Monson believes while Ford deserves more adulation for his performance in 2023, the Browns will function as a running back by committee approach in Chubb’s absence.
“They want to divide up that workload if they can,” Monson said about the Browns’ approach in 2024.
Adding Hines and Foreman gives the Browns multiple options to spread the running back workload.
Hines is a receiving specialist and gives Cleveland a running back to insert in third-down or passing situations, Monson said.
Foreman is another runner who can carry the ball multiple times throughout the game, keeping Ford from playing long stretches as the only running back on the field.
Monson added that the Browns never fully trusted Ford with the offense last season as former running back Kareem Hunt earned significant carries down the stretch.
Ford carried the ball 20 or more times just once last season, showing that the Browns divvied up the workload to limit the inexperienced running back’s exposure, Monson said.
Monson did praise Ford’s play in 2023, noting that the 2022 fifth-round selection was thrown into a starting role with no notice and performed above expectations for someone in that same position.
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