Like Batman, Nick Chubb is expected to return at some point in the 2024 season. (Cleveland Browns).
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
(One in a series of position recaps as Browns head into the 2024 player transaction season.)
Position group: Running back.
Players under contract: Nick Chubb, 28, (through 2024); Jerome Ford, 24, (2025); Pierre Strong, 25, (2025); John Kelly, 27, (2024).
Players not under contract: Kareem Hunt, 28.
Position coach: Duce Staley (first year).
Overview: Chubb’s gruesome knee injury in Game 2 in Pittsburgh was a devastating psychological blow at the time. But it proved not to be catastrophic. Ford provided 1,132 yards from scrimmage (rushing and receiving) and nine touchdowns in his second season, and Hunt returned to his hometown team from his couch – recast as a short-yardage specialist -- to chip in 495 yards and nine TDs plus two in the wild-card loss in Houston. Strong, acquired from New England in a trade in September, didn’t receive a lot of offensive reps (63 attempts for 291 yards), but showed enough to claim a spot in the running back-by-committee approach the club seems to be embracing. The replacement of Staley for former coach Stump Mitchell could be geared to toughen Ford, whose running style toes the line between patience and passivity.
Issues: The Browns repeatedly have said Chubb should be available to play at some point in the 2024 season. Most likely, his return shouldn’t be expected until at least six weeks in. Chubb’s final year of his three-year, $36.6 million contract calls for a base salary of $10.85 million and a salary cap figure of $14.85 million. None of the salary is guaranteed. Those figures are untenable given the severity of Chubb’s knee injury. So the Browns and Chubb have to arrive at some type of contract adjustment to preserve Chubb’s rightful place as an inspirational and integral presence on the team. The solution figures to be an incentive-laden deal, perhaps for multiple years, that would reward Chubb with some guaranteed money for his arduous rehab from the knee injury but also protect the Browns in the unlikely possibility that Chubb would not make his way back. Meantime, another back needs to be acquired – perhaps a mid- to late-round pick in the draft or even an undrafted free agent.
Position group: Tight end.
Players under contract: Jordan Akins, 32, (2024); David Njoku, 27, (2025); Zaire Mitchell-Paden, 24, (2024).
Players not under contract: Harrison Bryant, 25.
Position coach: Tommy Rees (first year).
Overview: Njoku’s first Pro Bowl season (team-high 81 receptions for 882 yards and 6 touchdowns) didn’t save T.J. McCartney from not being renewed as tight ends coach. Rees comes aboard for his first stint in the NFL after serving as offensive coordinator under Brian Kelly and Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame and Nick Saban at Alabama. Thirty-seven percent of Njoku’s catches (30) came in the five games with Joe Flacco as starting quarterback. The Browns hope it’s a sign of bigger things to come in 2024 with Deshaun Watson back in the saddle at quarterback.
Issues: It appears that replacing coordinator Alex Van Pelt with Ken Dorsey could mean a reduction of multiple tight end sets as the Browns try to tailor the offense to Watson’s comfort zone. If that’s the case, allowing Bryant to leave in free agency might be in the offing. A replacement tight end could be found in the draft.