Browns Sign Underwhelming RB to Replace Jerome Ford

It's been a tough year for Browns running backs. First Nick Chubb went down for the season in Week 2, suffering one of the most gruesome knee injuries we've ever seen.

Now his replacement, Jerome Ford, is on the shelf as well. Ford exited Week 7 with an ankle injury and is expected to miss 1-2 weeks.

While Ford had done a great job filling in for Chubb, Ford's replacement looks a lot less promising.

Browns Sign Jerome Ford Replacement

Browns beat writer Brad Stainbrook reported on Tuesday that Cleveland is signing RB Jordan Wilkins to the practice squad to bolster its running back depth.

That's not going to excite Browns fans, nor should it. Wilkins hasn't played at all this year after getting cut by Cleveland in late August.

It makes sense to bring in someone familiar with the offense at this point in the season rather than an outsider, but there's a reason the Browns cut him in the first place. The 29-year-old's NFL career has been pretty underwhelming thus far, producing 1,009 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns on 208 career in 54 career games. Wilkins barely played last year (13 carries), so he hasn't had a sizable role since 2021.

With Ford and Chubb unavailable, veteran RB Kareem Hunt is set to lead the backfield in Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks. He'll be backed up by Pierre Strong Jr. at RB2 and presumably Wilkins will be elevated on gameday as the RB3.

Don't expect much from that crew against the Seahawks' elite run defense, which ranks sixth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game, surrendering an average of 87.2 yards per contest.

That means Cleveland may need to lean more on its passing game to win, but that's hardly an appealing option either if Deshaun Watson can't play.

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