Dawgs By Nature
Cleveland has long enjoyed a powerful running attack. But questions surround this year’s group.
The Cleveland Browns are a franchise renowned for their strong running attack.
From their very first season in 1946, when Marion Motley was terrorizing defenses, through Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly, Greg Pruitt and his tearaway jersey, Kevin Mack, Earnest Byner, and finally Nick Chubb, when anyone thought of the running game in the NFL, they thought of the Browns.
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That all changed in Week 2 of the 2022 season when an unnecessary shot to the knee ended Chubb’s season. Since then, the ground game has been functional at best, with 1,000-yard seasons, breakaway touchdown runs, and soul-crushing fourth-quarter drives a thing of the past.
General manager Andrew Berry went to work in the offseason to remedy the situation. Some of his moves were popular as he selected Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson in this year’s NFL Draft. Some were mundane, as the team restructured Jerome Ford’s contract. Some, while not unexpected, were still hard to take as Chubb is now with the Houston Texans after signing a one-year contract as a free agent.
Cleveland will be relying on its running game, along with an offensive line that is getting back to its roots under line coach Mike Bloomgren, to take some of the pressure off whoever is at quarterback and get the offense back on track after a disastrous 2024 campaign.
While the rookie tandem of Judkins and Sampson is promising after combining to rush for 2,551 and 36 touchdowns last season in college, they are still unproven at the NFL level. This can help explain why Cleveland’s running back group landed at No. 29 on Pro Football Focus’ rankings of the league’s running back groups:
The Browns overhauled their backfield in this year’s draft by selecting Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins and Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson. Judkins earned an elite 95.2 PFF rushing grade during his three college seasons while breaking 197 tackles. Sampson was outstanding as the Volunteers’ starter last season, posting a 90.9 PFF rushing grade.
Those two will be competing with veteran Jerome Ford for playing time. Ford earned a solid 80.3 PFF rushing grade last season, though it was spread across just 104 carries.
Being ranked that low may not be what the Browns are accustomed to, but it is probably fair at the moment. Until they have the opportunity to turn their potential into production, Judkins and Sampson are still unknown quantities.
And while the offensive line is getting back to its strength, the unit has dealt with injuries the past few seasons, and it could take just one injury this fall to derail the line’s effectiveness.
But if the line can stay healthy and Judkins and Sampson are productive, the Browns should have no trouble moving up the rankings as the season goes along this fall.
