The Cleveland Browns will open up the season against the Cincinnati Bengals in an AFC North contest. Everyone will need to put their best foot forward as the regular season is set to start.
Several players will feel the pressure, and RB Jerome Ford will be under the most pressure to perform.
Jerome Ford Has Pressure to Perform for Browns
Ford will be the starter in the matchup, but the Browns overhauled this running back room this offseason. They let Nick Chubb walk in free agency before adding Dylan Sampson and Quinshon Judkins in the 2025 NFL draft.
It's clear they wanted more talent in that room despite Ford being around for three years. In 44 career games (18 starts), he had 1,390 rushing yards, 544 receiving yards, and 12 total touchdowns. The Cincinnati product has shown he is more of a depth running back in rotation compared to being the workhorse.
If the Browns felt confident in his ability to take over in the backfield, they wouldn't have added two rookie tailbacks.
Judkins was selected in the second round but remains unsigned. This offseason, he was under investigation after being arrested for a misdemeanor battery charge. On Aug. 14, Broward County State Attorney's Office said they wouldn't move forward with a case, clearing the way for him to return to the field. While he still isn't signed, that likely will be resolved sooner rather than later.
The Browns used a second-round pick on him for a reason, as he has logged 3,785 rushing yards and 45 rushing scores in three straight seasons. In addition, he went over 1,000 rushing yards in each season.
As for Sampson, he's another exciting prospect that Cleveland added. Last year at Tennessee, he had 1,491 rushing yards and a whopping 22 touchdowns.
Of course, both of these guys had this success on the college level, and the NFL is a different beast, but their ceilings are higher.
Ford has been around for three years in Cleveland, but never flashed the potential these guys possess. If he doesn't ball out against the Bengals, there's a real possibility that he gets pushed down the pecking order.
Cleveland didn't draft two explosive running backs for no reason. They want to see them on the field, and that will come at the expense of Ford. And a disappointing Week 1 showing may have him looking over his shoulder early on in the league.