Jerome Ford an X-Factor Against Ravens?
The Tennessee Titans game provided a preview of what's to come with Jerome Ford within the Cleveland Browns offense. The injury to Nick Chubb may have sped up that schedule, but Ford's ability to contribute in the passing game was a feature the organization sought in that position and could be a key in how the Browns attack the Baltimore Ravens defense on Sunday.
In past years, Kareem Hunt has caused problem for the Ravens defense. Yes, he can run the ball, but his impact in the passing game has helped to provide opportunities both for himself as well as teammates. Ford has a similar skill set, but might offer more in terms of route running, which opens up the ways the Browns can utilize him alongside Deshaun Watson.
The Ravens have one of the best safety groups in the league between Geno Stone, Kyle Hamilton and arguably the best of the group appears to be returning to the lineup in Marcus Williams for this game. Those three provide plenty of options in how they can defend the run and play in coverage. This past week, Hamilton was utilized as a blitzer and had three sacks against the Indianapolis Colts.
There's been plenty of talk about the empty formations the Browns have employed this week with Watson. It's curious since that's been a Kevin Stefanski staple since he took the job with the Browns. It's also been used to great effect against the Ravens in the past and it likely will be part of the gameplan this week.
The Ravens could be without both starting edge rushers Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo this week due to injury. Jadeveon Clowney has played well so far this season, but the team brought in Kyle Van Noy off the street to try to help their rotation. Mike Macdonald is a talented coordinator that both puts players in position to succeed and mixes up his looks to cause problem for the opposing offense.
Going with empty formations not only gives Watson cleaner reads, but limits what the defense can do in terms of their pressure packages. Jerome Ford has been lined up on the boundary and often runs five-yard ins. That is until this past week where Ford ran a sluggo and beat the Titans for a touchdown.
The Ravens will have to pay attention to Ford when he lines up out wide and that would likely take one of their safeties out of the box. Ford is still a viable target, but it takes a defensive threat out of the middle of the field, which could enable Watson to find other open passing options.
The Browns are not easy to defend because they have a good mix of athletes. They have options with size and strength as well as some with pure speed. Depending on how they utilize their talent, they can force the opponent to match personnel.
Multiple tight ends may draw more run personnel and provide the opportunity for mismatches, a great way to help limit the pass rush. Meanwhile, the Browns may want to force the Ravens to put more defensive backs on the field, because they may still be without Marlon Humphrey due to a foot injury. Can the corner depth of the Ravens keep up if the Browns put four wide receivers out on the field with players like Marquise Goodwin and Elijah Moore being mixed in with Donovan Peoples-Jones and Amari Cooper? The Browns may put that to the test.
The Browns have always been a dedicated screen team and they utilized Hunt in that capacity last week. The more comfortable he gets, that could be a good look for Ford since he's a much better athlete than Hunt.
The other place where Ford could have a chance to make a splash play in the passing game is if they choose to send him on a wheel out of the backfield to try to attack up the sideline. If a linebacker is tasked with picking him up, he could end up getting behind them and potentially being open for a big play or drawing help which could create an opening elsewhere.
With how much Elijah Moore has been back there, it seems like the Browns have been laying some groundwork to make a big play in that capacity. Moore could certainly be the target, but it could also work as a smoke screen. Forcing the defense to be more aware of Moore when he's lined up in the backfield and then perhaps not being prepared for Ford to run that type of route.
All of this could create opportunities for Ford to run the ball, something the Browns need to do more effectively. Ford had two big runs against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but both were on broken plays. Meanwhile, the Titans front seven suffocated the Browns run game for the most part, but there were a few plays the Brown left on the field in that game due to lack of execution.
The fact the Browns offense is being entirely geared around Watson now with Chubb out for the year, it encourages them to be more creative with how Ford is deployed. Ultimately, this was always coming but having Chubb shrunk the amount of plays it had a chance to be utilized. Now, there are so many more opportunities to get Ford involved in the offense even if it's just as a means to spread out the field and the defense.
