5 Browns Leaving Cleveland in the New Year
![P.J. Walker is one of five Browns who is likely leaving Cleveland in the New Year. P.J. Walker is one of five Browns who is likely leaving Cleveland in the New Year.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5489,h_3087,x_0,y_48/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/251/01hjvb7jqbjt0w1ceprk.jpg)
4. Kareem Hunt, RB
The case of Kareem Hunt is an interesting one.
The 28-year-old running back, who's also a free agent in March, was signed after Nick Chubb's season-ending knee injury. On one hand, Hunt has come through in a big way, setting a new career-high of nine rushing TDs through 14 games.
On the other hand, his yards per carry continue to decline. He went from averaging 4.9 yards per attempt in 2021 to 3.8 in 2022 to 3.0 this season — by far the worst mark of his career. Additionally, Hunt has only hit the 50-yard mark once this season.
With Chubb expected to make a full recovery by the start of the 2024 campaign and Jerome Ford's emergence as a legitimate backfield option, I don't see Hunt being re-signed in the New Year.
Hunt's decline will probably continue, and even if the Browns are worried about Chubb's recovery (and long-term prospects, since next season will be the final one on his contract, there are better answers out there.
Ford is, of course, the hopeful long-term answer in the Browns' backfield. But there's also at least one more draft and free-agency period before a Chubb successor will be needed, so there's no need to rush things