Browns Primed to Supplement Nick Chubb Now, Plan for Future at Running Back
No one wants to see Nick Chubb leave the Cleveland Browns, but the organization has to plan for the reality that he may not be on the team in 2024. Chubb could be poised for a monster season, but the financial realities are catching up with the Browns and they won't be able to keep everyone. With an outstanding running back class in this year's draft, the Browns could help Chubb and provide the offense additional firepower now while helping them plan for a fast approaching future.
As it stands, Chubb will be due $16.2 million in 2024 and will be among a number of roster major decisions the Browns will have to make. Even if there's somehow, some way the Browns can move money to keep Chubb for another year, the Browns would still benefit from adding more running back help this year in the draft, especially after how little they got from the rest of the room this past season. Without a viable alternative, Chubb's carries became one of the most discussed topics of the season.
Given the state of the Browns running back room, they are embracing the opportunity. Behind Nick Chubb, the entire running back room consists of last year's fifth-round pick Jerome Ford, John Kelly Jr., Demetric Felton (though he seems to be more focused on trying to be a receiver at the moment) and Nate McCrary.
Ford was great as a weapon on special teams as a returner and there are traits that he has that make him an interesting option going forward, but he had a grand total of 8 carries last season. That's not enough to bank on. Even if Ford is great, that would mean the Browns have more talent, which is good.
Between not wanting to accept this could be Chubb's last season and presuming that because the Browns want to pass the ball more, there seems to be a growing belief that the position has a diminished value in the Browns offense. It simply changes how they run the ball.
If the Browns are more successful in the passing game and particularly with forcing the defense to cover more space, it's going to create better opportunities to run the ball for Chubb. And some of his touches are going to be in the passing game. The last game of the 2022 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers provided a preview of what's coming.
Chubb carried the ball 12 times for 77 yards, an average of 6.4 yards per carry. He also caught five passes for 45 yards including a touchdown. 17 total touches for 122 yards at an average of 7.1 yards per touch. Fewer carries, but his impact isn't diminished. That's the blueprint.
Chubb's a special enough runner that it doesn't matter that he's not ideally suited to fit this offense because while he's a functional receiver, he's not great at it. That's where the draft represents a major opportunity at running back.
Ford's best feature coming out of the University of Cincinnati was his ability as a receiver. The Browns had Watson and grabbed a back that could be a good fit with his skill set. That should be the same approach in this draft, except with a better idea of what the offense is going to look like.
As much as the Brown want someone who can pass protect, it's more important to get someone capable of contributing as a receiving threat. Because of how Deshaun Watson operates, a pure blocking back can end up getting in his way as he looks to extend the play. It's more beneficial to have someone go out and be abler to find space in a position that Watson can get them the ball.
That being said, teams might be inclined to send heavy blitzes to simply overwhelm the Browns and Watson with numbers. In that scenario, they can chip a blitzer, then release into a route. This could also be done with an H-back like Jordan Akins.
Beyond simply getting a back who can be a contributor in the passing game, it's entirely up to preference. Grabbing a smaller back with terrific speed and route running ability to exploit the space created by the offense is a great option. The advantage here is the potential to be able to line them up in the backfield or out wide Alternatively, taking a bigger back who can simply run through lighter boxes could be great too. Or grab one of each.
Given the talent in the class, it could be prudent for the Browns to either take draft two backs this year or they could draft one and try to find a good undrafted free agent that could round out the room. The Browns need to keep taking swings at the position until they either find their way into another star or piece together a stable that can collectively provide the impact they would lose from Chubb.
The offense needs to be centered around Watson, but running back should be viewed as a weapon no different than wide receiver or tight end. The Browns don't want to be caught in a situation where they are searching for an answer at the position and Watson's history with the Houston Texans helps to illustrate why.
Watson's best season in the NFL as a passer was 2020, completing 70.2 percent of his passes for 4,823 yards and 33 touchdowns. The Texans leading rusher that year was David Johnson with a whopping 691 yards. Watson was second with 444.
The most prolific running back Watson had as a member of the Texans was Carlos Hyde with 1,070 yards in 2019. It's part of why the Texans struggled to close out games. They had to keep throwing or relying on Watson to win with his legs.
Watson will be playing with the best back he's ever had, something that isn't lost on him. And neither he nor the Browns want to be forced to endure a season like Watson did as a member of the Texans. Head coach Kevin Stefanski is an effective offensive coach in both designing and executing a productive running game. He's not going to simply let it rot and go to waste just because the offense is looking to pass more. It just changes how they will run it.
So much of the focus both this year and last has been adding players who could make plays down the field. It was necessary and the Browns organization may still be looking to further add to those positions. Improving the backfield is a great opportunity to increase the ways the Browns offense can attack opponents and maximize Deshaun Watson while ensuring they stay in a position to contend in future seasons.
