The Browns May Need to Load Up On RB’s In This Year’s Draft
Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns offense has a ton of talent led by Deshaun Watson, Amari Cooper, Amari Cooper, and David Njoku but there is still one spot that needs some major attention, running back. The 2024 NFL draft has a loaded running back class, and if the team doesn’t try to address the running back room, at least twice, it’s a failed draft for Cleveland.
Current State of Browns Running Backs
If the Browns head into Week 1 of the 2024 season with just the running backs they have on the roster, Cleveland won’t be gaining many yards on the ground. Nick Chubb is still with the team, and when healthy he is elite but he suffered a devastating knee injury, tearing both his ACL and MCL during the 2023 season. Chubb is expected back at some point in 2024, but it’s not expected to be early in the year.
If the Browns do release him before the start of the 2024 season, they will only eat $4 million in dead cap space while saving over $11 million. Browns general manager Andrew Berry talked with reporters about what can be done to keep Chubb in the Orange and Brown.
“Obviously, I understand that’s a little bit of the elephant in the room,” Berry told reporters in January. “With Nick, I can say for myself (and for) the organization (that) nobody wants to see that carry in Pittsburgh be the last time he carries the ball for the Cleveland Browns. And obviously, there are things that we’ll have to work through, but that would not be our intention. We obviously will work to keep him on the team.”
The team did bring in a couple of running backs already this offseason for depth, but neither of them really moved the needle. D’Onta Foreman and Nyheim Hines were brought in on short-term deals, but neither is really meant to be the bell cow. The team also still has Jerome Ford, but he needs talent around him to really be successful.
Browns Draft Strategy
One issue for the Browns currently is they only have two draft picks, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see them trade down at some point to try and pick up a few more. Heading into the offseason the Browns held seven picks, but they shipped two away to the Denver Broncos to get Jerry Jeudy. The Browns first pick is 54th overall in the second round, and should be spent on Trey Benson, a stud out of Florida State. Benson has 4.39 speed, is shifty, and could be a weapon out of the backfield catching passes also. With the Seminoles in 2023, Benson finished with 156 carries for 905 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also caught 20 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown. Benson is meeting with the Browns before the draft, and it’s clear at this point there is mutual interest between the two sides.
The only real knock on Benson is he sometimes looks too hard for the big play. Lance Zierlein of the NFL Network believes that Benson might need to try and become more of a power back in the NFL.
“(Benson is a) big back who might need to table his desires to be an elusive runner and adopt a more physical, decisive approach as a pro. Benson had just two seasons of collegiate wear and tear, but he only hit the 20-carry mark in one game. He runs with good knee-bend, agility, and contact balance but takes too long to process the front and hit holes between the tackles.”
Benson is a perfect option for the second-round pick, but the Browns shouldn’t stop there. Oregon Ducks running back Bucky Irving would be a perfect guy to add in the third round. The Browns need a running back who can get out in space, something that Bucky is elite at. Irving’s footwork is incredible and he has breakaway speed that can get away from most defenders. He’s not a super physical back, so that could hurt him in the league, but he would be a perfect change of pace back, that maybe could end up being more physical as his career moves on.
If the Browns decide their third-round pick should be used on a different position, a few names that makes sense later on include Marshall running back Rasheen Ali and Missouri back Cody Schrader. It never hurts to have cheap running back options on the roster, which makes it even more important that two of this year’s picks are spent on an upgrade in the backfield. This offense is one real player away from going over the top with talent, and that talent needs to be found in the 2024 NFL draft.
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