Most of the attention surrounding the Cleveland Browns has been focused on their quarterback situation. However, perhaps the most compelling position battle will be at running back.
Cleveland added some serious talent to their backfield this offseason. As a result, offensive coordinator Todd Haley indicated that he may potentially go by committee to start the 2018 NFL season, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk:
“I think that group has a chance to be a really good group,” Browns Haley told reporters on Thursday. “Even a couple of the younger guys look like they have some ability. I do not really have a philosophy. I have done it both ways. We led the league in rushing in Kansas City [in 2010] in a two-back, almost a two-and-a-half back system. Then in Pittsburgh, obviously, when Le’Veon Bell was playing, he was playing. [Here it] will really be determined by those guys, what they are capable of handling on a down-in, down-out basis and really who gives us the best chance to win. Yet to be determined would be the best answer.”
It goes without saying that Haley knows how to get the most out of his backfield whether it features a committee like the one he had with the Kansas City Chiefs or a workhorse via the Pittsburgh Steelers. Judging by the new faces on the depth chart, the Browns may very well rely on a group effort.
Cleveland signed former San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde to a three-year deal this offseason and invested a second-round pick in former Georgia running back Nick Chubb. Meanwhile, running back Duke Johnson has established himself as the Brown's go-to receiving option out of the backfield
Hyde may have the advantage thus far considering his familiarity with the workhorse role in San Francisco. That means Chubb may have a tough time etching out a role for himself right out of the gate.
Regardless, it should be interesting to see how the pecking order shakes out.