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Browns: 3 players from the Dark Ages who could’ve been great (and why they weren’t)

By Chad Porto

CLEVELAND - SEPTEMBER 19: Running back Peyton Hillis #40 of the Cleveland Browns runs the ball for a touchdown as he is hit by linebacker Jovan Belcher #59 of the Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 19, 2010 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND - SEPTEMBER 19: Running back Peyton Hillis #40 of the Cleveland Browns runs the ball for a touchdown as he is hit by linebacker Jovan Belcher #59 of the Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 19, 2010 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) /
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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 17: Trent Richardson #33 of the Birmingham Iron celebrates with fans after defeating the San Diego Fleet 32-29 in an Alliance of American Football game at SDCCU Stadium on March 17, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by John McCoy/AAF/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 17: Trent Richardson #33 of the Birmingham Iron celebrates with fans after defeating the San Diego Fleet 32-29 in an Alliance of American Football game at SDCCU Stadium on March 17, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by John McCoy/AAF/Getty Images) /

Trent Richardson

Yeah, Trent Richardson. Man, what he could’ve been is often something I think about. Richardson and Gordon were rookies together, alongside Brandon Weeden. Richardson and Weeden were first-round picks (despite Weeden being 29 at the time) and Gordon was a supplemental draft pick (same as Bernie Kozar), that the team spent a second-round pick on.

During Richardson’s first year with the Browns, there was clearly an issue with him, but he ran through arm tackles pretty consistently so people looked past that issue by and large. He rushed for 950 yards and 11 touchdowns but was traded to the Colts the next year. It was a waste of a trade, even if it was a first-round pick the Browns got back. If you end up wasting the pick like the Browns did, does it really matter what you got for him?

After the Browns and Colts, Richardson would land on another pro team in 2019, seven years later, when the Birmingham Iron of the AAF signed him. He didn’t put up a lot of yards but did score another 11 touchdowns. He was also getting better as the year progressed but since the league folded he was out of a job and hasn’t played anywhere since.

Where it went wrong: Remember that one glaring issue we referenced? Well, that was his downfall. See, he was fast, strong, and ran through arm tackles like nothing. His problem? He had no field vision. Richardson was routinely running into his offensive linemen or right into two defenders who had just filled a gap. He had such bad field vision that one of his most infamous plays in the AAF was how he missed a hole so wide, that four offensive linemen could’ve fit in it. This was a situation that happened in Cleveland, Indy, and even in Oakland during the preseason. Unfortunately he either never learned to run with his head up or at the very least he needed some contact lenses to help him see. Richardson was signed on to play in Mexico’s LFA but the season was canceled in April due to the pandemic.

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