CLEVELAND, Ohio — Two weeks ago, the Browns had little or no interest in trading for Colts premier running back Jonathan Taylor when Nick Chubb went down with his season-ending knee injury in Pittsburgh — but they certainly should strongly consider pursuing him now.
A lot has changed since the Browns eschewed a chance to trade for Taylor, 24 — the 2021 rushing yards and TD leader — and signed an old, familiar face in Kareem Hunt instead. At that point, the Browns believed that Jerome Ford would rise to the occasion, and that Hunt would be the perfect complement, with some third-string Pierre Strong Jr. mixed in. A 106-yard performance by Ford in Pittsburgh after Chubb went down raised expectations.
What’s more, they had receiver Elijah Moore serving as a part-time running back, and believed they’d be able to accomplish the running game more than adequately. They also have a running quarterback in Deshaun Watson to grind out some of those tough yards and convert third downs.
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But the Browns — 2-2 at the bye — have run into a pair of brick walls over the past two weeks in the run defenses of Tennessee and Baltimore, and they’ve been woefully inadequate on the ground. Against the Titans’ now fourth-ranked run defense, they managed just 78 yards rushing despite being up 13-3 at the half and 20-3 in the third en route to the 27-3 victory. Ford, who averaged 6.6 yards on his 16 carries against the Steelers’ now 29th-ranked run defense, gained just 18 yards on 10 runs against the Titans for a 1.8-yard average – although one of those was a 3-yard TD.
During Sunday’s 28-3 loss to the Ravens, Ford mustered only 26 yards on nine carries for a 2.9-yard average against their seventh-ranked run defense. Of course, he had a 26-yard run on their first play of the game wiped out by a holding call on Amari Cooper, but he struggled on most of his other runs — thanks in large part to Jadeveon Clowney and Roquan Smith — and had a long gain of only 10. Granted, the Browns couldn’t run as much they wanted to after falling behind 21-3 at the half, but part of the reason they trailed was because they struggled on the ground, losing yardage on four of their 13 first-half runs for a net of 10.
Certainly, it wasn’t all the backs’ fault. The Browns, minus All-Pro right tackle Jack Conklin, haven’t run-blocked well this season, ranking 25th in run block win rate, according to ESPN Analytics. Rookie right tackle Dawand Jones, while excelling at pass blocking, is coming up the learning curve in run blocking, ranking 72nd in the NFL compared to 27th in pass blocking according to Pro Football Focus. Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. ranks only two spots higher in ground game, making for some tough sledding so far this season.
And it won’t get easier anytime soon, what with the 49ers’ third-ranked run defense coming to town on Oct. 15 after the bye. What’s more, starting center Ethan Pocic walked out of the locker room Sunday night with a full brace on his right knee and a crutch in his hand, leaving his availability for the 49ers in doubt.
Hunt, who’s still getting acclimated after sitting out since the end of last season, has gained only 25 yards on 10 carries, with a long gain of 6 against the Ravens. The Browns netted 93 yards against Baltimore — but 40 came on a run by Strong on the Browns’ final drive when they trailed by 25.
The Browns also confirmed on Saturday that Chubb, who was averaging 6.1 yards per carry this season for fourth in the NFL, will definitely need a second surgery in the coming months to repair his torn ACL. Given that he also blew out the left knee at Georgia in 2015, he’ll likely need at least a year to come back from the second procedure. On Friday, he had his torn MCL, torn meniscus and ruptured medial capsule repaired at University Hospitals by team head physician Dr. James Voos, who hasn’t yet been permitted to discuss the surgery publicly.
Cleveland Clinic orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michael Scarcella, who hasn’t treated Chubb and spoke in general terms, noted how hard the road back will be from a second multi-ligament injury the same knee.
“It can be very difficult to return to a high level of play after a revision reconstruction,” he told cleveland.com medical reporter Gretchen Cuda Kroen. “However, if anyone is capable of that, it’s likely a high-level professional athlete due to a lot of the characteristics, tools and the recovery and care team that surrounds them.”
It’s also Nick Chubb, who’s superhuman like his hero, Batman. At Georgia, Chubb defied all the odds and returned a year later from his injury, during which he tore the LCL, PCL and MCL. What’s more, he became arguably the best pure running the NFL and a four-time Pro Bowler. But if he has the ACL repaired in 2-3 months, he might not be himself until the 2025 season.
With Chubb possessing a cap charge of $16.2 million in the final year of his contract next year, the Browns will have some tough decisions to make about his future. At the very least, they’ll have to restructure a deal that would save them $12.2 million on the 2024 cap if he weren’t on the roster. The Browns will try to do right by Chubb — the heart and soul of the team — but they’ll also do what’s best for the club.
That’s where Taylor, a 2021 first-team All-Pro who’s coming off the physically unable to perform list with his ankle injury, comes in. The 2021 leader with 1,811 — ahead of only Chubb — is one of the only backs in the NFL who could ease the pain of losing Chubb. Again, the Browns have apparently shown no interest in him to this point, but now that they’re at the bye, it’s time to at least give it some thought. Taylor, who asked to be traded in preseason, still wants out of Indianapolis — which has been unwilling to sign him to an extension — and would undoubtedly welcome a trade to Cleveland.
A dual-purpose back with excellent receiving skills, Taylor wouldn’t come cheap, but would likely be worth the money. Just ask the the 4-0 49ers how it’s gone for them in trading last October for Christian McCaffery, the highest paid back in the NFL at $16 million a year.
On Sunday, McCaffrey scored four touchdowns in the 49ers victory over the Cardinals, and is on a tear, with 459 yards rushing and six TDs, and another TD catch. Last season, he scored 10 TDs for the 49ers in his 11 games there, and helped lead them to the NFC Championship Game, where he totaled 106 scrimmage yards and scored a TD.
The Browns were a serious Super Bowl contender with Chubb, and things got a lot tougher when he went down. They’ve dedicated their season to him, but it would be a lot easier to accomplish their goals with a Chubb-like Taylor in the house. They’re also second in the NFL with $34.489 million in cap space, and have the money to extend him. Backs aren’t getting paid these days, but Taylor, in his only his fourth NFL season, would be worth the double-digit millions he’ll command.
It’s not easy to find another Chubb, but the Browns have a chance to at least try, and it could change the fortunes of this high-stakes season.
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