The Cleveland Browns had a lot of things go right to complete a 13-10 comeback win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 4. But one of the things that could have gone better is the usage of rookie running back Dylan Sampson.
Sampson was a fourth-round pick by the Browns in April’s draft and appeared to be on track for a larger role after catching a touchdown pass in the season opener. But his NFL debut hasn’t translated into more playing time as Sampson received just five snaps in Sunday’s win over the Packers.
This would seem like something the Browns would like to rectify as soon as a Week 4 matchup against the Detroit Lions. But Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Reese told ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi that Sampson’s snap counts will be “more of a week-to-week thing,” despite Sampson doing “everything we’ve asked.”
Browns Mothballing Dylan Sampson to Showcase Jerome Ford
There are a lot of things that should drive Browns fans insane. But mothballing Sampson is just the latest item to throw on the pile. The Tennessee product was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year with 1,634 all-purpose yards and 22 total touchdowns last season, and his explosiveness figured to be a perfect complement with second-round pick Quinshon Judkins.
Judkins missed the season opener after signing his rookie contract on Sept. 6 and Sampson took advantage with 33 snaps. While he managed just 29 yards on 12 carries, he was tremendous in the passing game with eight catches for 64 yards.
When Judkins returned the following week, many believed that Sampson would leap veteran Jerome Ford on the depth chart. But the Browns went in the opposite direction with Ford out-snapping Sampson 59-23 and owning a 15-8 advantage in touches over the past two games.
It would be one thing if Ford were doing anything with those touches, but he’s averaged just 4.26 yards per touch during that time. Perhaps Ford has the veteran’s edge that many coaches give over rookies at the beginning of the season. But the Browns may have another motive ahead of the Nov. 4 trade deadline.
Ford is in the final year of his contract, and although the Browns are 1-2, it would be surprising if they were in contention at the deadline. Even if they were, it may become clearer that Ford isn’t the correct complement to Judkins, giving the Browns a reason to trade him. This could lead the Browns to showcase Ford over the next month to increase his trade value, but it also causes short-term damage by not putting the better player on the field.
With jobs on the line, it would benefit the Browns to get both rookies on the field in order to give their offense a little more explosiveness. But it doesn’t seem that Rees and the rest of the Browns’ staff realize that something is wrong, leading to plenty of confusion in the early months of the season.