RB3: Pierre Strong Jr.
After Demetric Felton and John Kelly spent the entire preseason battling it out for the Browns' RB3 role, the answer to who would win it ended up being "neither of them." The Browns instead decided to make a trade to address the position by bringing in Pierre Strong Jr. from the New England Patriots.
A 2022 fourth-round pick out of South Dakota State, Strong barely got to see the field as a rookie with the Patriots.
He played only 51 offensive snaps in his first season but did show some flashes with 100 rushing yards on 10 carries plus 42 receiving yards on 7 receptions. He gained first downs on 8 of his 17 touches, averaging 8.4 yards per touch.
Obviously we don’t want to get too excited about a 17-play sample, but it’s easy to like those early flashes of potential.
So far as a Brown he’s played 13 offensive snaps, scoring a touchdown on one of his two carries and having yet to catch a pass.
The addition of Hunt makes it clear that Kevin Stefanski isn’t ready to move forward with Strong as his RB2, but that could change over the offseason if Strong continues to show positive development.
Kareem Hunt signing with CLE:
— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) September 20, 2023
Good for Jerome Ford.
Bad for Pierre Strong.
Hunt has shown signs of regression in explosiveness, power, and rushing efficiency.
But he can be a serviceable backup who gives Ford a breather as needed, & already knows the scheme. https://t.co/sFaJCfiUU8