The running back position is the next topic we will cover in our analysis of the Cleveland Browns free agents. Running back has just one player on the open market: Kareem Hunt, unlike quarterback, which has three players scheduled to go undrafted.
When and How They Became Browns Players
His off-field domestic abuse scandal marred his second season after joining the Kansas City Chiefs for the first two of his career. Despite having just finished a Pro Bowl season, the Chiefs released him during the season. In 2019 he signed with the Browns throughout the offseason. Before making his debut, he would serve an eight-game suspension during that season.
After four years in Cleveland, he became a free agent in 2023, but the organization chose not to resign him. Although the Colts and Saints were mentioned as potential landing locations, he remained unsigned at the beginning of the season. With Nick Chubb’s season-ending injury suffered against the Steelers in Week 2, it was only logical for Hunt to return to Cleveland for a $1.35 million, one-year contract.
Productivity Level Previous Season: Cleveland Browns vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Gregory Shamus took the picture/Getty Images
Hunt’s burst had disappeared the previous season, but his strengths remained in finding the end zone, putting up hard yardage, and being a seasoned presence in the running back group. In the regular season,
Hunt gained 411 yards (3.0 YPC) on 135 carries and 9 touchdowns. Remarkably, Hunt caught just 15 catches for 84 yards during the season, making him a non-factor as a receiver. In the first half of the Browns’ playoff loss to the Texans, he also scored two touchdowns.
Was there a reason why Hunt didn’t produce many yards per carry? Hunt reportedly underwent sports hernia surgery following the season “to repair a ruptured adductor that apparently plagued him much of the 2023 season.” That would definitely contribute to the explanation of his lack of explosiveness (16 yards was his longest run of the season) and his incapacity to gain momentum following catches in the flat.
Actions the Browns Should Take
Starting quarterback Jerome Ford had 204 carries for 813 yards (4.0 YPC) and 4 touchdowns; Hunt’s average was a full yard per run behind him. In his first full season with the Browns, Ford amassed over 1,000 all-purpose yards, but it was clear that his vision and instincts were below average, leaving some yardage on the field.