2024 Browns Free Agency Frenzy: Running Back 

Cleveland may need to bring in a good backup, or even a new starter 

The Cleveland Browns live and die by their running game. It symbolizes the franchise, and pretty much always has.

So, what will the running back room look like in 2024? Will Nick Chubb be ready to roll? Can Jerome Ford improve? Will the coaching staff rely on Pierre Strong for more carries in 2024? Do they have any confidence in bringing John Kelly up? Or just maybe they draft a young buck to take the rock.

Chubb had two surgeries on his left knee. His second procedure was in mid-November at University Hospital Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute performed by team head physician James Voos, MD. The injured left knee is the same one he had reconstructed after tearing his MCL, PCL, and LCL while at Georgia in 2015. This time, the ACL remained intact, but Chubb still needed surgery on the other three ligaments.

Both surgeries were deemed a success. The estimated recovery time for Chubb is sometime during the 2024 season. When is that exactly? Nobody knows.

Should the Browns wait this out for Chubb’s return? After he returns, is that All-World Chubb or a limited edition Chubb? We all know the answer is not going to be Kareem Hunt again.

What if what is needed was to bring in a warm body during free agency?

The best starting running backs available this year are Saquon Barkley of the New York Football Giants, Las Vegas Raiders Josh Jacobs, and Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans. All of these players are going to fetch starter money. The problem is not being able to pinpoint Chubb’s return. If that date was beyond the halfway mark, GM Andrew Berry would know how to approach the starting running back position.

LINK: LIST OF BROWNS FREE AGENTS

Few believe what happened last year is the answer going forward. Neither Ford nor Hunt is the answer. And it makes no sense to pay one of the three above-mentioned players bank when Chubb is already making a large paycheck.

The free agency period begins March 13, but teams can open negotiations from March 11-12.

Here are three RB possibilities for the Browns:

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

RB J.K. Dobbins

Baltimore Ravens

5’-10”, 215 pounds

Age: 25

Free agency ranking: 128

NFL draft: 2020 Round 2, pick #55 (Ravens)

Career Pro Bowls: 0

40 time: 4.53

2023 season: 1 start, 8 attempts, 22 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 first down run, 2.8 yards per carry average, 2 receptions, 3 targets, 15 yards, 0 receiving touchdowns, 0 first down catches, 7.5 yards per reception

Injuries have derailed Dobbins’ career for the Ohio State product. After never being hurt in college, in the NFL Dobbins cannot escape this. He had a solid rookie campaign in which he rushed for 805 yards with nine touchdowns but in his sophomore season, he tore his ACL in the final preseason game.

After missing the first two weeks of 2021, in Week 6 he suffered another knee injury. Last year, Dobbins tore his Achilles. All three years he landed on IR, and each injury ended his season.

When Dobbins is healthy, he is a stud running back. He is a patient runner who lets his blocks develop. He has excellent vision with a quick burst once he hits his hole. Compact build has allowed him to power run through tackles and is a good receiver as evidenced by his receiving grade of 69.4.

The team that gets a full year out of him will be very pleased. If healthy he could be a 1,500-yard back. Could this be Cleveland? Would they take a chance on a guy who cannot stay on the field as a professional?

Projection: One-year, $4 million

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

RB Derrick Henry

Tennessee Titans

6’-3”, 247 pounds

Age: 30

Free agency ranking: 31

NFL draft: 2016 Round 2, pick #45 (Titans)

Career Pro Bowls: 4

40 time: 4.54

2023 season: Pro Bowl, 17 starts, 280 attempts, 1,167 yards, 12 touchdowns, 63 first down runs, 4.2 yards per carry average, 28 receptions, 36 targets, 1,167 yards, 0 receiving touchdowns, 7 first down catches, 7.6 yards per reception

Okay, we lied about Henry being a viable RB option. He most certainly is. Can anyone guarantee that Chubb will be the same RB he was before this second knee injury? And when exactly is he coming back? These are two questions that currently have no answer.

Henry can be had for less than $5 million for a single season. What this would do for the Browns is go into the season with a definite answer at the RB position. Then, it does not matter when Chubb returns, or what condition he is in. And just maybe Chubb being used sparingly for a full season might be a good thing. But at least the Browns would have a viable running back without the long-term contract.

Henry led the league in rushing from 2019-2020 and the hope that even at age 30, he can regain that form even though he isn’t the same player he was a few years ago. Plus, it is rumored that Ravens are interested in Henry so signing him would keep them from playing against him twice a season.

The Browns will need to know going into 2024 that the RB position is covered. Henry would be a huge plum to sign and is a good receiver so he fits Cleveland’s scheme. Plus, he remains production having been named to the Pro Bowl once again this past season. Get him into the fold and let’s get this party started.

Projection: One-year, $4.3 million

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

RB A.J. Dillion

Green Bay Packers

6’-0”, 247 pounds

Age: 25

Free agency ranking: 132

NFL draft: 2020 Round 2, pick #62 (Packers)

Career Pro Bowls: 0

40 time: 4.53

2023 season: 6 starts, 178 attempts, 613 yards, 2 touchdowns, 32 first down runs, 3.4 yards per carry average, 22 receptions, 28 targets, 223 yards, 0 receiving touchdowns, 10 first down catches, 10.1 yards per reception

Dynamic runner inside the 10-yard line with a bowling ball mentality. Dillon is rarely brought down by the first defender. Good speed for a back with his stout build, he is always churning his legs to play through first contact. Can easily slide into the bell-cow position or can play complimentary especially down deep and on short-yardage situations. Had 39 rushing touchdowns in college so he knows where the end zone is.

Dillion absorbs contact and can read block development. Excellent stiff-arm play and can grind it out between the tackles or take it wide. Does not possess the creativity to elude traffic and has only decent hands in the passing game, but make no mistake Dillion is a pile-mover.

Projection: One-year, $3 million