Just a few short years ago, the Cleveland Browns had one of the most electric running games in the NFL. During this time of plenty, perennial Pro Bowler Nick Chubb led the way with multiple thousand-yard seasons and cemented himself in Browns history as one of the best to ever do it at his position. Supporting Chubb, there was Ohio native Kareem Hunt, who the Browns used efficiently for short yardage and brute force entries across the goal line. Chubb and Hunt were such an effective tandem that other talented running backs on the Browns' roster, such as Jerome Ford and D'Ernest Johnson, could barely get on the field.
How things have changed in Cleveland. Going into the 2025 season, the Browns’ RB room looks remarkably different. After some serious injuries, Nick Chubb is now a Houston Texan, and Kareem Hunt found a place on the dynastic Chiefs. Jerome Ford is still around, but few believe he has what it takes to fill such large shoes in the running game. In fact, he recently accepted a substantial pay cut in order to retain a spot on the team. Also on the depth chart is Pierre Strong Jr., who adds more depth than star power.
Browns Have High Hopes for Rookie Additions
In an attempt to make up for departing talent, this offseason, the Browns drafted Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson. While both Rookies are yet to prove themselves in the league, they are each coming out of college with impressive resumes. Judkins averaged a touchdown per game and five yards per carry last year at Ohio State, while Sampson is the reigning SEC offensive player of the year.
Despite the Browns’ strategic retooling, the big brains at Pro Football Focus don’t seem to be impressed. In a recent ranking of each team’s running back units, they judged the Browns’ current RB room to be the 4th worst in the league, barely beating out the Bears, Giants, and Cowboys.
While Cleveland’s revamped roster of running backs is drastically different from its legendary predecessors, does it really warrant such an embarrassingly low rating?
The answer to this question depends on how analysts judge the Browns’ backs. If going by past performance alone, then the bottom-of-the-barrel ranking can make at least some sense. Neither Judkins nor Sampson has taken a single snap in the NFL and can, therefore, be completely discounted from a statistical perspective until they start putting up numbers.
This then leaves only Ford and Strong for the analysts to base their assessment on. Unfortunately for the Browns, neither of these two running backs boasts impressive stat lines. In Ford’s best season, 2023, he was well short of the thousand-yard milestone, amassing only 813 yards while his other two seasons in the pros saw totals in the double digits. Strong’s stats are ironically weak as well. In his three NFL seasons, he has yet to log 500 rushing yards in total.
Don't Call it a Comeback
These numbers might seem measly, but if we turn away from the past and look instead toward this unit’s potential, the future seems much brighter.
For example, DraftKings Sportsbook is currently offering prop bets with the expectation that Judkins will run for at least 650.5 rushing yards, while PFF places this estimate at a whopping 1,093.69 rushing yards. This, coupled with an expected seven or eight touchdowns, would make Judkins not only a fantasy machine, but would place him squarely in the Rookie of the Year Conversation. Judkins currently has the seventh-best odds to win the award at +2000, but don’t be surprised if these odds improve once bettors see his skills during the season.
And don’t forget about Dylan Sampson coming off the bench as a proven pass-catcher out of the backfield. In three years at Tennessee, he caught 40 passes for 8.6 yards per reception. Such a safety net could be a crucial tool this season, especially if the Browns choose to start an inexperienced quarterback who will need to check down under pressure.
The Nick Chubb era was certainly a magical time for Cleveland, but it's time to move on and focus on the bright future ahead. With Judkins and Sampson set for explosive rookie seasons, the Browns’ running back corps has a chance to prove all their doubters wrong, one rushing yard at a time.
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