4 players the Cleveland Browns can’t afford to lose in 2022
By Chad Porto
D’Ernest Johnson
Personal opinions on Kareem Hunt aside, I’m not a fan. He’s a running back who had one great year and now everyone thinks he’s this great back. He’s not bad, by any means, but he’s not a Top 10 guy like so many in the fandom wants him to be. He’s someone who stops his legs on impact, and his receiving skills are highly overrated. The team won’t miss him nearly as much as they would someone like Nick Chubb.
Despite having his best YPC since joining Cleveland with a 4.9, he only played in eight games and saw his production in the passing game completely fall off. It’s likely he gets hurt again or falls back down to the near 4.0 YPC that he’s been used to in previous seasons with Cleveland. He’s not the same back he was as a rookie, and that’s why it’s beyond important to have a player like D’Ernest Johnson ready to play in his stead should something happen to him.
You can’t just throw any running back in this offense, no matter what some will claim. You need talent, and Johnson is a far more fluid runner than Hunt, who’s a bit more herky-jerky than I’d like. Johnson runs more like Chubb, leg constantly moving, never stopping his body regardless of who’s in front of him.
The team can’t afford to lose him.