Story out that the Browns won't be re-signing Kareem Hunt (it doesn't appear anyone is interested at the moment). And they already let D'Ernest Johnson go in free agency. So Jerome Ford needs to be on the list of late-round running backs, in case Nick Chubb breaks down.
Chubb didn't miss a game last year, so Hunt put up modest numbers as a change-of-pace: 40 total yards per game. But as a fill-in starter in five games the previous two years, he put up 93, 57, 102, 73 and 78 total yards, with 2 TDs. That's the opportunity that could await Ford, should Chubb miss time.
Physically, Ford is similar to Chubb at 5-foot-11 and 220 pounds. But he was just a fifth-round pick, so he wasn't viewed as favorably coming out of college. He barely played on offense as a rookie (8 carries, 12 yards), limited primarily to special teams (he also spent time on IR with an ankle injury).
About all we have to go on with Ford is last preseason, and that looked promising. In his first game he carried 10 times for 57 yards, while also catching 4 passes and scoring twice. The next game he ran for 31 yards and caught 4 more passes for 26. The team had apparently seen enough; in the final preseason game he returned a kick but didn't play on offense.
Just preseason stats, but Ford's final average of 4.6 yards per attempt ranked 8th among runners who had at least 15 attempts last August.
| PRESEASON RUSHING, 2022 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
| Justin Jackson | DET | 18 | 109 | 6.1 | 0 |
| DeeJay Dallas | SEA | 28 | 163 | 5.8 | 1 |
| Antonio Williams | NYG | 16 | 93 | 5.8 | 1 |
| Craig Reynolds | DET | 16 | 81 | 5.1 | 0 |
| Jordan Mason | SF | 19 | 94 | 5.0 | 0 |
| Raheem Blackshear | BUF | 24 | 116 | 4.8 | 2 |
| Jason Huntley | PHI | 35 | 163 | 4.7 | 2 |
| Jerome Ford | CLE | 19 | 88 | 4.6 | 1 |
| Joshua Kelley | LAC | 16 | 74 | 4.6 | 0 |
| Austin Walter | LV | 23 | 104 | 4.5 | 1 |
| Darwin Thompson | SEA | 16 | 72 | 4.5 | 1 |
| Brittain Brown | LV | 34 | 152 | 4.5 | 2 |
| Devine Ozigbo | NO/DEN | 28 | 125 | 4.5 | 0 |
| Marlon Mack | HOU | 21 | 90 | 4.3 | 0 |
| Qadree Ollison | ATL | 18 | 77 | 4.3 | 1 |
| Malik Davis | DAL | 31 | 132 | 4.3 | 1 |
| Isiah Pacheco | KC | 16 | 66 | 4.1 | 0 |
| Julius Chestnut | TEN | 26 | 106 | 4.1 | 1 |
| Bryce Perkins | LA | 18 | 73 | 4.1 | 2 |
| Darrynton Evans | CHI | 19 | 77 | 4.1 | 1 |
| Duke Johnson | BUF | 21 | 84 | 4.0 | 2 |
| Tyler Allgeier | ATL | 17 | 68 | 4.0 | 1 |
| Patrick Taylor | GB | 18 | 71 | 3.9 | 0 |
| Jaret Patterson | WAS | 16 | 63 | 3.9 | 1 |
| Aaron Shampklin | DAL | 28 | 106 | 3.8 | 0 |
| Ke'Shawn Vaughn | TB | 29 | 109 | 3.8 | 2 |
| Tyler Goodson | GB | 29 | 107 | 3.7 | 1 |
| Rico Dowdle | DAL | 22 | 80 | 3.6 | 1 |
| Caleb Huntley | ATL | 38 | 138 | 3.6 | 1 |
| Tony Jones | NO | 19 | 69 | 3.6 | 0 |
| Keaontay Ingram | ARI | 27 | 97 | 3.6 | 1 |
| Trey Ragas | LA | 21 | 75 | 3.6 | 1 |
| Jashaun Corbin | NYG | 21 | 73 | 3.5 | 2 |
| Zamir White | LV | 26 | 90 | 3.5 | 1 |
| Phillip Lindsay | IND | 16 | 55 | 3.4 | 1 |
| Kennedy Brooks | PHI | 22 | 75 | 3.4 | 0 |
| De'Montre Tuggle | CHI | 21 | 71 | 3.4 | 0 |
| Mekhi Sargent | JAX | 16 | 53 | 3.3 | 0 |
| Jermar Jefferson | DET | 22 | 72 | 3.3 | 0 |
| Bryant Koback | MIN | 21 | 67 | 3.2 | 1 |
| John Kelly | CLE | 37 | 117 | 3.2 | 1 |
| Rachaad White | TB | 19 | 60 | 3.2 | 0 |
| Abram Smith | NO | 29 | 90 | 3.1 | 0 |
| Tyrion Davis-Price | SF | 24 | 74 | 3.1 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne | JAX | 17 | 52 | 3.1 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | PIT | 16 | 48 | 3.0 | 0 |
| Trayveon Williams | CIN | 22 | 64 | 2.9 | 1 |
| Tyler Badie | BAL | 23 | 65 | 2.8 | 0 |
| Royce Freeman | HOU | 27 | 75 | 2.8 | 0 |
| Hassan Haskins | TEN | 27 | 69 | 2.6 | 0 |
| Jake Funk | LA | 19 | 48 | 2.5 | 0 |
| John Lovett | CAR | 23 | 57 | 2.5 | 0 |
| Snoop Conner | JAX | 29 | 65 | 2.2 | 0 |
| Trey Sermon | SF | 19 | 39 | 2.1 | 0 |
| Chris Evans | CIN | 18 | 10 | 0.6 | 0 |
Ford's final year of college (at Cincinnati) was also impressive. He rushed for 1,319 yards (18th) and 19 touchdowns (7th). He also caught 21 passes for 220 yards and a score. Chubb has 63 catches across 43 games the last three seasons, so Ford could possibly emerge as the main option in passing situations, as was the case with Hunt (95 receptions those same three years).
I'm not going to beat the drum too heavily for Ford, but he's the guy to roster if you select Chubb early in a best-ball draft. Or even if you don't.
As for Hunt, there doesn't seem to be a market for him right now. He averaged just 3.8 yards per attempt last year, more than a yard below his previous season (4.9) and also below Chubb (5.0) last year in the same offense. He turns 28 in August. Presumably he'll sign somewhere eventually, but arguably the chances of Ford making an impact this season are just as high.
--Andy Richardson