The Cleveland Browns were short-handed across the board against the Carolina Panthers on Friday. The team was so understaffed that the club had to overly on rookies on both sides of the ball. Shedeur Sanders looked good, and Carson Schwesinger looked every bit the star fans hoped the 2nd-rounder would be.
They weren't the only rookies who showed up, as undrafted rookie running back, Ahmani Marshall also looked good. The rookie runner had eight carries for 32 yards, with the longest run being that of 11 yards. Not shabby for a limited outing. He did hit the 4.0 yard per carry mark for the game too, a nice sign. Yet, that may not be good enoughg to guarantee the rookie and recent addition to the Browns a spot beyond the preseason.
In his first preseason game, PFF graded him out at 73.2 overall and a 75.7 rushing grade. Pretty strong numbers. Yet, Marshall is not likely to get a lot of rushing attempts behind the team's incumbent Jerome Ford. Plus, if fellow-rookie Dylan Sampson can show up and produce, then at best, Marshall is third on the depth chart. Quinshon Judkins, a second-round pick for the Browns in 2025, could push Sampson and Ford down a peg if he's cleared to return to the field after some off-field issues.
Even if he's not cleared, then the Browns may still go with Toa Taua ahead of Marshall. After all, Taua had a better game against Carolina, where it mattered most: blocking. When you get to the likes of Taua on the depth chart, you're no longer looking for just their ability to rush the ball. You're looking for other things.
One of those things involves their blocking skills. Against Carolina on Friday, we saw that Taua had the better blocking game than Marshall. He was more physical with opposing defenders, which will matter when it comes to evaluations.
The other thing you're looking for is special-teams potential. After all, you're talking about a fourth or third-string running back; they won't see a lot of action on offense unless there's an injury. It's here that Marshall looked a bit better. If he's able to showcase his ability to be more useful on special teams, then he could end up sticking around.