3 Teams Who Could Still Sign Kareem Hunt in Free Agency
By Jovan Alford
Former Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt is still sitting in free agency, with the first full week of preseason action kicking off across the NFL.
The veteran running back is one of the best remaining free agents on the market and showed us last year that he still has a lot left in the tank. Cleveland brought back Hunt early last season after star running back Nick Chubb suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Hunt assumed the RB2 role behind second-year running back Jerome Ford as the duo helped stabilize the Browns’ offense. Hunt wasn’t a huge factor in the passing game as in years past but he rushed for 411 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns on 135 carries.
Those aren’t eye-popping numbers, but still good enough for any team looking for a quality RB2 before the regular season starts in September.
Luckily enough for Hunt, three teams could use his services immediately as these squads didn’t do enough in the offseason to address their deficiencies in the backfield. Below, we’ll highlight those teams and how he would fit in their offensive schemes.
1. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are the first team that could use Hunt as they need someone to complement the hard-nosed running style of Zamir White. White will be Las Vegas’ new feature back after Josh Jacobs signed a massive four-year, $48 million contract with the Green Bay Packers in free agency.
White impressed the Raiders’ coaching staff last season, recording 397 yards and a rushing touchdown in the team’s final four games. White had two 100-yard rushing performances in those four contests against the Kansas City Chiefs (145) and Denver Broncos (112).
With White likely getting an uptick in carries and workload, the Raiders need to have a solid RB2 behind him and right now they don’t. Alexander Mattison failed to live up to expectations last season after taking over for Dalvin Cook.
Mattison had 700 rushing yards on 180 carries, which was a career-high. However, he scored no rushing touchdowns and averaged a disappointing 3.9 yards per game.
The only saving grace for Mattison was his production in the Vikings’ passing game as he had 30 receptions (44 targets) for 192 yards and three touchdowns. The Raiders hope for a better season from Mattison, but they need more reinforcements as Ameer Abdullah and rookie Dylan Laube compete for the RB3 spot.
Hunt averaged 3.0 yards per carry last season, which wasn’t spectacular either. But he was able to find the end zone, which Mattison couldn’t do.