The Cleavland Browns are one of the most historic NFL franchises, but for the wrong reasons. Founded in 1946, The Browns were one of the best teams in the NFL during the early years. During the 2000s Cleavland has only made the NFL playoffs three times, one of those times being in 2023. Here is what the future could look like for them at running back.
Browns 2023 Season
Its no secret that the Browns 2023 season was one of adversity. After losing their Star running back, and going through four quarterbacks, Cleavland was still able to make the playoffs. Even though the wild card game did not go their way, I would still classify it as a successful season after all they overcame.
After losing running back Nick Chubb to injury, Cleavland was left with Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong. Therefore, Cleavland brought back former Browns running back Kareem Hunt. Hunt and Ford lead the backfield during the 2023 season and combined for over 1200 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Nick Chubb
The All-Pro running back suffered a terrible injury during the week two game vs the Steelers, ending his 2023 season. Chubb came into 2023 with four consecutive seasons of over 1,000 yards rushing and has been regarded as one of the best running backs in the league the past couple years. At first it was though that Chubbs’s injury could be career ending, but the Browns expect him to make a full recovery and be back on the field next season. 2024 is also a contract year for Chubb, he is scheduled to be a free agent after next season, and Chubb will be 29 years old after the 2024 season.
I would imagine that the Browns decision to resign Chubb will depend on how his 2024 season goes. If Chubb looks how he was two years ago, it is likely they will extend him, but if it looks like he has taken a step back I would imagine they will move on.
The Future
For this situation, let’s say that the Browns move on from Nick Chubb next season. The Browns still have Jerome Ford who is young and would be going into his fourth season, being the final year on his rookie contract. Ford could be the next star for Cleavland if he looks good without Chubb, but could the Browns target a top free agent or rookie to fill Nick Chubbs role. After trading for Deshaun Watson, the Browns are left with little cap space and draft picks, which would make it difficult to do so.
So, it looks like it would be Jerome Ford for the future of the Browns, unless they can find a hidden gem late in the draft or a cheap guy in free agency. I hope that Chubb will make a full recovery and have an incredible 2024 season and get an extension from Cleavland, but if not here is just an idea of what the future could look like without Chubb.
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