Tag: Jerome Ford

Which running back gets the bulk of the carries vs. Cowboys?

Who will step up in Chubb’s absence?

The Cleveland Browns will have multiple running backs in the mix when it comes time to kick off Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys. The bulk of the carries is expected to be handled by Jerome Ford and D’Onta Foreman, who are both predicted to see a split amount of snaps as Nick Chubb slowly returns to health.

Foreman will look to have a recognizable role in this offense during his first year as a Brown, especially regarding red zone carries.

The Browns’ featured backs will also be supported by Pierre Strong Jr., who proved to have solid playmaking ability in 2023. While none of us know coach Stefanski’s plan with the running backs, they are assumed to go with the hot hand.

One pivotal factor of the run game will be who is starting at left tackle for Cleveland. The expectation is that Jedrick Wills will get the nod to assume his usual starting position. There are also rumors that Jack Conklin could be switching to his collegiate position with the rise of second-year right tackle Dawand Jones.

We’ll see who is defending our running backs when they take on the Cowboys in Cleveland on September 8th.

How the Browns will handle the running back position until Nick Chubb returns

How will the Browns handle running back snaps until they get their star back?

One of the most highlighted positions of discussion this offseason was the running back for the Cleveland Browns as they continue to wait on the return of Nick Chubb.

The team entered the offseason with the uncertainty of Chubb’s health and an expiring contract from Kareem Hunt, the team leader in rushing TDs. Until Nick Chubb returns, Andrew Berry has brought in some skilled veterans along with returning running backs Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong.

After making some impressive plays in his first game as a Brown, the secret is out about D’Onta Foreman‘s involvement in the run game. As a power back, the NFL veteran brings a powerful presence at the goal line and in short-yardage situations. Going into his seventh year, Foreman is someone who will look to handle a chunk of the rushing attempts for the Browns early on.

Nyheim Hines is another back who was brought in this offseason from the Bills. Still working through his torn ACL, Hines will look to bring speed to the backfield and special teams room.

Ford and Strong are the Browns’ returning backs who will have to fight for their touches early on. Both players filled in nicely after the devastating season-ending injury to Nick Chubb, but the Browns hope to not find themselves in that situation again. Until Chubb officially returns, the team will mostly rotate these backs efficiently.

Fantasy football outlook: Cleveland Browns running backs

Dissecting all that is Cleveland’s stable of running backs.

Last year’s plan for the Cleveland Browns offense was for Nick Chubb to compete for the NFL rushing title. Coming off a 300-carry, 1,500-yard season in 2022, Chubb was expected to follow that up in a big way.

He lasted 46 seconds into the second quarter of Week 2 when he suffered a catastrophic left knee injury … again.

In 2015 at Georgia, Chubb tore is his left PCL, MCL and LCL and dislocated his knee. Eight years later, he tore his left MCL and meniscus and had a second surgery to repair his left ACL. Chubb has officially run out of left knee ligaments.

The Browns may believe that Chubb won’t be ready for this season. After Chubb’s injury, the team traded for Pierre Strong and signed free agents D’Onta Foreman and Nyheim Hines in the offseason. That stinks of worry.

Browns RB Jerome Ford back at practice with newfound dad strength

Congrats, Jerome!

Running back Jerome Ford hit the practice field for the first time on Monday after missing the first week of training camp. Ford, however, was not hurt or holding out, but missed due to the birth of a child.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski broke the news, saying, “He’s got a little bundle of joy is the good news, but I’ll let him share the details.”

We will have to wait and hear from Ford himself to get more information on the child, but the third-year running back gets nothing but congratulations from us here at Browns Wire.

After starting 15 games a year ago due to the injury to superhuman running back Nick Chubb, Ford will be looking for an uptick in production and efficiency this season while the Browns continue to wait on their star to return to the field.

He now has that patented dad strength, so do not sleep on Ford to put up better numbers than he did a year ago with the right opportunity.

Poll: Who will lead the Browns in rushing yards this season?

Will someone other than Chubb lead Cleveland in rushing yards?

It is unclear when the Cleveland Browns will get Nick Chubb on the field in 2024 after he suffered a gruesome injury against the Steelers last year. This is the second time Chubb has torn that knee, and a timeline for his return hasn’t been given yet.

Even if Chubb starts early in the season, the Browns will likely limit his touches early to let him ease his way back into things and keep him healthy for the playoff push. So there could be a different leading rusher than Chubb this year, and it will likely be last year’s leading rusher, Jerome Ford.

Ford had a solid season last year with 813 rushing yards, averaging four yards per carry. On the other hand, Nyheim Hines and power back D’Onta Foreman, who will compete for carries even when Chubb returns, are the other talented players added.

I believe it will be a running back by committee, and in turn, it’s hard to predict who will lead the team in rushing this year. If I had to choose, I think it would be Jerome Ford again, but Nick Chubb would give him a run for his money late in the season.

Every NFL team’s rushing leader from the 2023 regular season

Here is every team’s leading rusher from the 2023 campaign

A Carolina Panther led the entire NFL in rushing this past season!

Oh, wait . . . our apologies . . .

A former Carolina Panther led the entire NFL in rushing this past season!  So, congratulations to Christian McCaffrey, who is also just days away from playing on the game’s biggest stage.

Now, as we continue to put a bow on the year, let’s look back at each team’s leading rusher from the 2023 regular season.

Studs and Duds: Which Browns players put on a show in primetime vs. the Jets

Joe Flacco and Ronnie Hickman Jr. led the Browns to a win over the Jets. Who else stood out?

The Cleveland Browns secured a playoff berth in a 37-20 thrashing of the New York Jets. The game was a story of two halves. The team was laser-focused heading into the prime-time game.  

The Browns dominated the Jets across the board in the first half. In the second half, the team tried to secure their lead and protect their players from future injuries ahead of the playoffs.

Overall, the Browns played some of their best football on Thursday night. The offense was [anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media]more explosive than ever, generating a lot of big plays for the unit. The defense continued its domination by shutting down the Jets for most of the game. The team is playing its best football of the season right before the playoffs. 

The Browns need to carry this momentum into the playoffs. The teams that win Super Bowls aren’t always the most talented. Sometimes, they’re the teams that play their best at the end of the season. Hopefully, the Browns can find themselves in that latter group as injuries have decimated a talented roster, but haven’t robbed the team of their fighting spirit.

Here are the Studs and Duds in the Browns’ win over the Jets.

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Joe Flacco stays red-hot, finds Jerome Ford again to put Browns up 34-14 vs. Jets in the first half

The Browns are throttling the Jets, thanks to Joe Flacco and Jerome Ford

The rout is on for the second straight week for the Cleveland Browns. Dismantling the New York Jets on primetime television, quarterback Joe Flacco has stayed hot against his former team, again finding running back Jerome Ford for their second connection through the air in the first half.

Heading into halftime, Flacco has already racked up 296 yards and three touchdowns through the air against his former team. He does have an interception that turned into a touchdown the other way, however. Other than that singular mistake though, Flacco is playing a spotless football game.

Ford is having his best game of the season as well, as he already sits with 116 total yards (59 on the ground, 57 as a receiver) and two touchdowns in the first half of this game.

With the chance to clinch a spot in the playoffs and the fifth seed in the AFC with a win, the Browns look energized and dominant in this one. They hold a 34-17 lead at halftime over the 6-9 Jets.

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Browns jump out in front as Joe Flacco connects with Jerome Ford for 6 vs. Jets

The Browns are out to a motivated start as Joe Flacco finds Jerome Ford for a touchdown on the opening drive against the Jets.

The Cleveland Browns strike first against the New York Jets! As running back Nick Chubb got the stadium ignited, quarterback Joe Flacco then led a touchdown drive on the opening drive of the game, capping it off with a toss to running back Jerome Ford.

On the drive, Flacco stayed hot as he connected on three-of-four through the air for 71 yards. He found tight end David Njoku twice, who the Browns will need to step up with Amari Cooper out, for 64 yards on the opening drive.

Ford had a nice opening drive as well, rushing for 14 yards on three carries, then capping his drive off with that touchdown catch. Without Cooper, the Browns will need their running game, which has been non-existent over recent weeks, to kick it up a notch.

Ford seems up to the challenge in this one.

Looking to clinch their first playoff berth in three years, the Browns appear ready in this one.

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Jingle Bells ring: Jerome Ford finds the endzone to put Browns up early vs. Texans

The Browns have an early lead on the Texans as Jerome Ford finds the endzone on the opening drive of the game.

Fresh off of a deep ball from quarterback Joe Flacco to wide receiver Amari Cooper for a massive 53-yard gain, the Cleveland Browns wasted no time taking a 7-0 start over the Houston Texans. Just three plays later, running back Jerome Ford was able to take a direct snap out wide behind right tackle James Hudson III for a touchdown.

The Browns have found success pitching the ball back to their quarterback out of these wildcat looks this season, and this time they faked the pitch, leaving Ford a clear path to the endzone. The Browns ran the ball twice on the drive, both times coming out of wildcat looks as they looked to jumpstart a subpar run game.

The defense forced a Houston punt, so Flacco and company will look to continue to drive the ball down the throat of the Texans. Can the Browns all but punch their ticket to the playoffs with a win today?

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