Nick Chubb at 2021 Cleveland Browns Minicamp/Rob Lorenzo ESPN Cleveland
The Browns have tough extension decisions to make on three players that aren't Baker Mayfield
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*Editor's note: Danny Cunningham is a Cleveland Browns writer for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland*
The biggest story for the Cleveland Browns until the pads come on is whether Baker Mayfield signs a contract extension to solidify his future in Cleveland as the franchise quarterback. But the biggest question isn’t whether that gets done, it’s who else are the Browns able to sign to long-term deals.
Aside from the obvious in Mayfield, the Browns will have the chance to sign running back Nick Chubb, guard Wyatt Teller, and cornerback Denzel Ward to extensions. Chubb and Teller will both hit free agency following this season, while Ward will be a free agent following the 2022 season after the Browns have picked up his fifth-year option.
It’s clear that all three guys are vitally important to the success of the Browns, but what may not be as clear is the order of importance for each of these guys to have an extension signed. There are reasons for each as the most important for the Browns to extend, and the least important, too.
Nick Chubb
Chubb is one of the best running backs in the NFL. Throughout the offseason, there have been plenty of lists ranking running backs, and Chubb is a top three-to-five back in nearly all of them. He’s got an argument that he’s the second-best back in the NFL behind Tennessee’s Derrick Henry.
The Browns are a much better team when Chubb is on the field, as evidenced by last season when the offense sputtered while he recovered from a knee injury suffered against the Dallas Cowboys. Yes, Kareem Hunt is a world-class back in his own right and certainly the best backup running back in the league, but he isn’t the same guy that Chubb is.
There’s also no better closer in the game than Chubb. Last season, he averaged a whopping 10 yards per carry on fourth quarter rushes. When the Browns needed to put a game away in 2020, Chubb was unquestionably the guy they turned to.
The concern of signing Chubb to a mega deal is that running backs typically don’t age well. The fear is that the miles and hits that Chubb both takes on and dishes out will add up. Are his best years still ahead of him or did we just witness this season what the peak of Chubb’s powers look like? That’s always going to be the most prominent question around running backs.
Wyatt Teller
When the Browns acquired Teller from the Buffalo Bills in August of 2019 for picks in the fifth and sixth round, there wasn’t much made of the move. He had a less than impressive rookie season with the Bills and there wasn’t much reason to think that he was going to turn into the All-Pro caliber guy that he was in Cleveland this past season. He’s an important part of the offensive line group for the Browns, and that showed throughout the 2020 season.
While there certainly are more reasons than just Teller’s absence, two of the Browns’ three worst offensive games this past season game while he was inactive. When the Browns went to Pittsburgh without him, Mayfield found himself constantly under pressure, and the offense as a whole was thoroughly dominated. The game against the Raiders can certainly be attributed to the poor weather it was played in, but if Teller was on the field, can the Browns run the ball better?
When thinking about a Teller extension, the biggest question links back to when the Browns traded for him. Did Cleveland find lightning in a bottle with his acquisition or can offensive line coach Bill Callahan turn anyone into a very good interior offensive lineman. Your answer to that question likely decides the feeling you have about an extension.
Denzel Ward
Ward has been a very solid defensive back for the Browns when he’s been able to be on the field. The former first-round pick has graded out as a starting level corner in each of his three seasons in the NFL. His best year remains his rookie campaign that saw him earn a 78.9 grade from Pro Football Focus and ultimately earn a spot on the AFC Pro Bowl roster.
The biggest issue with Ward hasn’t been anything that’s happened while he’s been on the field. While he isn’t at the same level as the best corners in the NFL, he’s still a guy the Browns can count on to do more than just slow down the opposing team’s best receiver. Ward doesn’t completely shut down his side of the field, either, but the results are very pleasantly somewhere in the middle. The issue has been that Ward has yet to stay healthy for a full season. He’s played a total of 38 of 50 possible games (including playoffs) with the Browns. Ideally, that number would be closer to 45 than 35.
His extension shouldn’t touch the type of number that Los Angeles’ Jalen Ramsey just signed for -- $21 million per year – but it’s fair to wonder if it will be more than what Miami corner Xavien Howard makes at $15.1 million per year.
All three of these guys are very important to the success of the Browns. Ward plays the most important of the positions, Chubb is the best at his position relative to the rest of the league, and Teller could continue his ascension as one of the best guards in the league. There’s no easy choice for who is the most important for the Browns to extend, and there’s no easy choice for who is least important, either.
