I've got mixed feelings about Kareem Hunt. On the one hand, he's proved to be one of the game's most capable, productive running backs throughout his career. On the other hand, he seems content to spend that career as part of a committee.
Hunt had two good years (one great) in Kansas City, before things went south due to a domestic violence suspension. He latched on with Cleveland to rehabilitate his value, at a time when he had minimal options, but then re-upped with a two-year extension through this season, when fantasy types were theorizing about him going elsewhere as a full-time back, rather than stuck behind Nick Chubb.
Now he's in a contract year, and everyone keeps suggesting trades (which haven't even been rumored by any credible source) or at least him leaving after the season for a starting job somewhere else. And yet, Hunt himself is hoping for another extension, to continue in a tandem with a running back in Nick Chubb who he's five months older than.
Hunt's an Ohio native. I guess I can't fault the guy for wanting to stay home; there may be all kinds of family issues I know nothing about. But it is a little disappointing, thinking how great he could potentially be elsewhere.
During his five-year career, Hunt has averaged over 16 PPR points per game. Among running backs to appear in at least 40 games over that time frame, only seven have been better. He's scored 44 touchdowns in those 59 games. All that while playing with Chubb in three of those seasons -- the only backs ahead of him are clear featured guys.
Table below, from data at pro-football-reference.com, shows PPR points per game from all running backs to play at least 40 games over the last five seasons.
| RUNNING BACKS, PPR POINTS/GAME (2017-2021) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | G | PPR | PPR/G |
| Christian McCaffrey | 58 | 1303.2 | 22.5 |
| Alvin Kamara | 73 | 1535.6 | 21.0 |
| Todd Gurley | 59 | 1138.0 | 19.3 |
| Dalvin Cook | 56 | 1053.9 | 18.8 |
| Ezekiel Elliott | 73 | 1319.8 | 18.1 |
| Saquon Barkley | 44 | 793.9 | 18.0 |
| Derrick Henry | 71 | 1157.4 | 16.3 |
| Kareem Hunt | 59 | 955.3 | 16.2 |
| Melvin Gordon | 71 | 1137.9 | 16.0 |
| Leonard Fournette | 63 | 997.6 | 15.8 |
| Aaron Jones | 69 | 1054.1 | 15.3 |
| Austin Ekeler | 72 | 1093.8 | 15.2 |
| Joe Mixon | 66 | 997.6 | 15.1 |
| Josh Jacobs | 43 | 648.9 | 15.1 |
| Nick Chubb | 58 | 872.7 | 15.1 |
| Chris Carson | 49 | 709.6 | 14.5 |
| David Montgomery | 44 | 630.2 | 14.3 |
| Le'Veon Bell | 49 | 669.3 | 13.7 |
| James Conner | 65 | 862.2 | 13.3 |
| Miles Sanders | 40 | 506.3 | 12.7 |
| James White | 62 | 758.6 | 12.2 |
| Mark Ingram | 68 | 824.5 | 12.1 |
| David Johnson | 55 | 661.9 | 12.0 |
| Kenyan Drake | 73 | 857.4 | 11.8 |
| Devonta Freeman | 51 | 594.5 | 11.7 |
| Tarik Cohen | 51 | 565.4 | 11.1 |
| Devin Singletary | 45 | 489.3 | 10.9 |
| Jordan Howard | 56 | 584.3 | 10.4 |
| Marlon Mack | 47 | 484.2 | 10.3 |
| LeSean McCoy | 53 | 537.6 | 10.1 |
The trade ideas will persist (he'd be a great fit in Kansas City!), put forth by fantasy writers most frequently, but it doesn't seem like there's anything doing. The Browns don't have any interest in trading him -- plus they've got bigger fish to fry -- and maybe Hunt himself has no interest in being traded. So probably another year of Hunt in a tandem with Chubb, and maybe another couple of years after that. The Browns will have a nice running game and defense in those seasons, even if they don't have any draft picks and might still be a year away from having the quarterback they mortgaged the future for in their lineup.
--Andy Richardson