The Browns will take some flak for signing Kareem Hunt, but it’s a move that makes a lot of sense and gives them a lot of flexibility going forward. They’ve now got one of the deepest backfields in the league, and one that’s cost controlled.
The risk, of course, is that Hunt gets involved in another violent off-field incident. That would be a huge embarrassment for the team and the league. But we are a country that gives second chances. And if we’re going the second-chance route, Hunt belongs in the group of people who deserves an opportunity to show that he can be a better man going forward.
GM John Dorsey drafted Hunt in Kansas City, so he’s familiar with the player and his background. Dorsey has been willing to take chances on players in the past. Tyreek Hill was kicked off the Oklahoma State team and not invited to the NFL combine after a domestic violence arrest. Antonio Callaway was kicked off Florida’s team and Dorsey drafted him last year.
The Browns, of course, already have two very good running backs. Nick Chubb at times last year looked like he might develop into one of the league’s top 10 running backs – a big back who busted a lot of long runs last year. And Duke Johnson has been one of the top handful of third-down backs in the league.
Both Chubb and Johnson are under contract at modest prices through the 2021 season. According to Spotrac, Johnson is just entering a three-year extension worth $15.6 million. Hunt is now under contract for one year, but the Browns will be positioned to re-sign him next year – he will be a restricted rather than unrestricted free agent next spring.
The Browns are overstocked at the position, but these kind of problems can often solve themselves. Injuries are common at the position, or maybe somebody doesn’t work hard enough and shows up in less-than-ideal condition. Hunt probably won’t even be available until the second half of the season – he’ll be hit by some kind of league suspension.
Cleveland also could make a trade at some point. Dorsey seemed to indicate as much yesterday when he answered a question about Johnson. The Browns might be thinking that a year from now, a one-two punch of Chubb and Hunt would be more what they’re looking for, rather than extensively using a third-down back.
“You have three very quality, really four quality individuals,” Dorsey says. “I don’t think it makes him (Johnson) expendable yet. What you have to do is you have to go back and research your options and see moving forward what’s best for the organization.”
If the Browns decide to move Johnson, they should have no problem finding a team willing to trade for him. The Packers, as a USA Today team site points out, could use a pass-catching running back to work alongside Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams.
When Hunt is up to speed and learns the offense, I’m not sure that he’ll be Cleveland’s best back. Chubb was very impressive last year – a big, talented dude. Kansas City didn’t seem to miss Hunt much late last year, when Damien Williams was playing well in the postseason. Some of Hunt’s success in Kansas City can be attributed to the offense around him.
But Hunt has shown he can play, and he’s a versatile back. Over the last two years, he’s put up the 4th-best per-game numbers among running backs who’ve started over half the time. That’s using standard fantasy scoring.
| TAILBACKS PER GAME (last two years) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | St | Run | Rec | Total | TD | Pts/G |
| Todd Gurley | 29 | 88 | 47 | 135 | 1.38 | 22.0 |
| Alvin Kamara | 28 | 55 | 52 | 108 | 1.11 | 17.7 |
| Ezekiel Elliott | 25 | 97 | 33 | 130 | .72 | 17.3 |
| Kareem Hunt | 26 | 81 | 32 | 113 | .92 | 16.9 |
| Melvin Gordon | 28 | 71 | 35 | 106 | .93 | 16.3 |
| Leonard Fournette | 21 | 70 | 23 | 94 | .76 | 13.9 |
| Christian McCaffrey | 32 | 48 | 47 | 95 | .63 | 13.4 |
| Latavius Murray | 17 | 78 | 11 | 89 | .71 | 13.1 |
| Mark Ingram | 28 | 63 | 21 | 84 | .68 | 12.5 |
| David Johnson | 17 | 57 | 30 | 87 | .59 | 12.3 |
| Chris Carson | 18 | 76 | 12 | 88 | .56 | 12.1 |
| Joe Mixon | 28 | 64 | 21 | 85 | .46 | 11.3 |
| Carlos Hyde | 23 | 58 | 17 | 75 | .57 | 10.9 |
| C.J. Anderson | 18 | 73 | 13 | 86 | .33 | 10.7 |
| Jordan Howard | 32 | 64 | 8 | 73 | .56 | 10.6 |
| Alex Collins | 23 | 55 | 13 | 67 | .61 | 10.4 |
| Adrian Peterson | 22 | 68 | 12 | 80 | .36 | 10.2 |
| Marshawn Lynch | 21 | 60 | 11 | 72 | .48 | 10.0 |
| LeSean McCoy | 30 | 55 | 23 | 78 | .37 | 10.0 |
| Lamar Miller | 31 | 60 | 16 | 76 | .39 | 9.9 |
| Derrick Henry | 32 | 56 | 7 | 64 | .56 | 9.8 |
| Dion Lewis | 27 | 49 | 21 | 70 | .41 | 9.4 |
| Doug Martin | 19 | 54 | 10 | 64 | .37 | 8.7 |
| Peyton Barber | 20 | 57 | 9 | 66 | .35 | 8.7 |
| Tarik Cohen | 32 | 25 | 34 | 59 | .38 | 8.4 |
| Isaiah Crowell | 29 | 53 | 12 | 65 | .28 | 8.2 |
| Frank Gore | 30 | 56 | 12 | 68 | .17 | 7.8 |
| LeGarrette Blount | 32 | 37 | 4 | 41 | .25 | 5.6 |
—Ian Allan