Cleveland Browns

The NFL in 2022 is more pass-heavy than ever before. Last year, 10 teams averaged over 250 passing yards per game. Only half that many teams averaged 140 yards per game on the ground. But running the ball hasn't fallen completely to the wayside, nor has an effective run game lost its importance. Of the NFL's top-10 rushing teams in 2021, seven made the playoffs.

What has changed is the route that teams are taking to build that solid run game. The days of the 350-carry workhorse back aren't completely dead, but they are falling by the wayside. Nowadays, it's about committee attacks. Passing-down specialists. And the importance of depth.

Old-school football hasn't disappeared from the NFL. But more and more each year, it has a new-look feel to it.

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Bye-Bye Bellcows

One decade ago, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson became the most recent running back to win the NFL's Most Valuable Player award. That year, Peterson gained 2,097 yards on the ground—just eight yards shy of Eric Dickerson's single-season record. Peterson did so in true workhorse fashion, carrying the ball 348 times, or 21.75 carries per game. He was one of five backs to eclipse 300 carries, and 10 backs to amass at least 275.

Fast forward 10 years, and there were just two running backs who topped 300 carries—Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts and Najee Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Joe Mixon of the Cincinnati Bengals joined them as the only other back to hit 275 carries. Taylor led the NFL in carries per game, at 19.5 carries per game.

Admittedly, part of the drop in carries can be explained by backs catching more short passes. If you add receptions to the mix, there were eight running backs that averaged 20 touches a game in 2021. It's the same number as in 2017. But per StatMuse, back in 2012 there were 10, and two more backs (Knowshon Moreno and Ray Rice) had 19.9.

By any objective measure, running back workloads are being scaled back. And it's not hard to see why.

NFL teams are tired of their running backs getting hurt.

Last year's leader in touches per game was Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans, at a gaudy 29.6 per contest. The year before, Henry carried the ball 378 times on the way to over 2,000 rushing yards. But that put Henry on a collision course with "The Curse of 370." It's a term coined by Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders for the drop-off in production for backs the year following a 370-carry campaign. The historical data isn't pretty.\

Sure enough, Henry made it eight games into the 2022 season before breaking a bone in his foot.

Dalvin Cook is one of the most talented runners in the NFL, with three straight 1,000-yard carries on his NFL resume. But he has also missed time in all five professional seasons, and as he told Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press, the reality is that running back may well be the most fragile position in the game.

“We’re in the NFL. Things happen. Guys go down,’’ Cook said.

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Sharing the Wealth

As more and more teams get hip to the notion of scaling back the workload of their lead back, we're seeing a lot more two and even three-headed backfields.

Last season, there were a whopping 53 running backs that totaled more than 100 carries. Fifty-five backs had more than 100 total touches). There were 10 NFL teams that had two running backs who ended the season with over 150 total touches. A whopping 21 teams had two backs with 100 touches. And two teams (the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns) had three 100-touch running backs.

Granted, the splits in Philly and Cleveland were created in part by injuries. So were some others. But both the Eagles and Browns have a history of spreading the wealth in the backfield, and they aren't alone. Fantasy football managers may hate the idea of "running back by committee," but more and more NFL teams are embracing the idea.

Last year, the Washington Commanders were not one of those teams—Antonio Gibson dominated the backfield work and ranked fourth in the league with 300 touches. But per Nick Shook of NFL.com, head coach Ron Rivera told reporters at OTAs that the team plans to involve more players in the run game in 2022.

"Well, I think for the most part, it's going to be by committee. Some of the things that we did in Carolina we're trying to emulate, you know, we had a good two-back system. We had, (former Carolina Panther running backs DeAngelo) Williams and Jonathan Stewart, and we had Fozzy Whittaker as a change of pace, third-down type of guy. Well, you look at what we have right now, you can say we have the same thing."

"So just feel that, you know, it's one of those things that you're going to go with, who's hot, who's rolling, you know, who's doing the good things. And then you're going to have to spell that guy. I mean in this league today, you know, you just can't have one primary back. You've got to have a plethora of them. And we just feel it's a very good room right now."

It's not just a matter of spreading the wealth during games, either. NFL teams are prioritizing depth almost as much as talent. The Browns gave D'Ernest Johnson up to $2.4 million this year to be the team's third-string back. The Eagles handed Boston Scott $1.75 million to do that same thing.

Teams don't want two good running backs. They want three. Four. As many as they can get their hands on.

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The NFL's Best Backfields

Having a backfield where one back handles most of the rushing work while another takes care of the third-down pass-catching role is fine. Dandy even. Ben Linsley of Pro Football Focus ranked an Indianapolis Colts backfield where Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines have those roles as the second-best unit in the league.

But another reason why the Colts rank as high as they do is the presence of a reserve back in Philip Lindsay who has topped 1,000 rushing yards twice in his career. The perfect NFL backfield doesn't just have talent. Or even depth. It has both—sometimes in the form of a No. 2 back who can step into a featured role without the team missing a beat.

With that in mind, here's a look at the five best backfields in the NFL in 2022.

5. Minnesota Vikings (Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, Kene Nwangwu

When he's healthy, Cook is one of the game's best—a do-it-all back who is as dangerous catching passes as he is running between the tackles. He's the clear lead runner in the Twin Cities. But Mattison has shown to be invaluable reserve who can step into Cook's role without the run game falling apart. Cook also told Tomasson that the Vikings plan to involve Nwangwu more in the offense this season.

4. Dallas Cowboys (Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard, Rico Dawdle)

Elliott's numbers took a dip in 2021—his 58.9 rushing yards per game was a career low. But the 26-year-old still topped 1,000 rushing yards and scored 10 times on the ground, and Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has raved about how Elliott has looked in OTAs. Pollard is one of the league's more underrated running backs. He averaged a career-best 5.5 yards per carry a year ago, and per Linsley only Nick Chubb and Derrick Henry have averaged more yards after contact per attempt than Pollard since 2019.

3. Indianapolis Colts (Jonathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines, Phillip Lindsay)

Dating back to his time at the University of Wisconsin, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more productive running back than Taylor, who led the NFL last year with 1,811 rushing yards in 2021. He also amassed over 2,100 total yards and scored a whopping 20 total touchdowns. Hines is an excellent receiver and pass-protector who has topped 60 catches in two of four pro seasons, while Lindsay eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first two years in Denver.

2. Green Bay Packers (Aaron Jones, A.J. Dillon, Kylin Hill)

Given all the issues the Packers have at wide receiver, Green Bay may well wind up fielding the most productive one-two running back group in the league in terms of total yards this season. The team doesn't have a true "lead" back, with Jones and Dillon garnering an almost identical number of touches a year ago. Both backs topped 1,100 yards last season, and the pair combine for 17 touchdowns. This is a two-headed attack in the truest sense.

1. Cleveland Browns (Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, D'Ernest Johnson)

Saying that the Cleveland backfield is stacked doesn’t do the team justice. Chubb may be the most talented pure runner in the entire NFL—he averaged a gaudy 5.5 yards per carry in 2021 and has never averaged less than five yards a pop in a season. Hunt is a former NFL rushing king and excellent receiver who topped 1,100 total yards with 11 scores two years ago. Johnson averaged 5.3 yards on his 100 carries in 2021 and averaged over 120 yards per game in his two starts.

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A perfect backfield is much like a perfect quarterback—every team strives to have one, but none do. However, the teams listed above lay the blueprint for coming close.

Stockpile talent. Add players who can serve in multiple roles. And have a viable Plan B available in case your lead back goes down.

Do that, and teams can make some hay on the ground.

And while that may seem old-fashioned, it also remains a path to success on Sundays.

Heading into the final season of his contract, Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt hopes to get a new deal from the club.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Hunt said he will "hopefully" be in Cleveland long-term but he's taking things "day by day" right now.

#Browns Kareem Hunt, heading into the final year of his contract, is hoping for an extension pic.twitter.com/Qu7ZQerJIF

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) June 17, 2022

Hunt was signed by the Browns in February 2019. He became a free agent after being released by the Kansas City Chiefs four months earlier.

TMZ Sports released a video in November 2018 that showed Hunt shoving and kicking a woman at a Cleveland hotel earlier in the year. He was never arrested and the woman never moved forward to press charges.

The NFL suspended Hunt for the first eight games of the 2019 season due to a violation of the league's personal conduct policy. He recorded 464 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in his first season with Cleveland.

Hunt signed a one-year restricted free-agent tender to remain with the Browns in April 2020. The Toledo alum was given a two-year, $12 million extension five months later that kept him under contract through the 2022 season.

The 2020 campaign was Hunt's best as a member of the Browns. He finished with 841 rushing yards, 304 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns. The 26-year-old appeared in all 18 games, including the playoffs, that season.

Cleveland has one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL. The group ranked fourth with 145.4 yards per game on the ground last season. Nick Chubb, who is signed through 2024, ran for 1,259 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 starts.

D'Ernest Johnson was the only Browns running back to appear in every game last year. He set career highs in rushing attempts (100), rushing yards (534) and rushing touchdowns (three).

Calf and ankle injuries limited Hunt to eight games in 2021. He put up 560 yards from scrimmage and five total touchdowns.

The NFL is seeking a "significant" suspension for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, according to Mark Maske of the Washington Post.

The league will "probably" call for a one-year suspension for violations of the league's personal conduct policy, "a person on Watson's side of the case" told Maske.

Watson has been accused of sexual assault or sexual misconduct in 26 civil lawsuits, with the last two being filed this month. The 26-year-old has denied the allegations, and two grand juries declined to press criminal charges.

The league has conducted its own investigation and will present the findings to Sue L. Robinson, a former U.S. district judge appointed by the league and players association as the NFL's disciplinary officer.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in May that the league was "nearing the end of the investigation," although there have been new allegations since.

All 26 women have accused Watson of sexual assault or misconduct during massage therapy sessions. An investigation by the New York Times' Jenny Vrentas found that Watson met with at least 66 women for massage appointments over the course of 17 months from 2019 to 2021. Vrentas also reported the Houston Texans enabled Watson by providing him with a hotel membership and nondisclosure agreements to use for the appointments.

Watson did not play last season with the Texans, although he was not suspended and remained on the team's active roster, receiving his full salary.

Cleveland acquired the three-time Pro Bowler in a March trade, giving Watson a new five-year, $230 million contract that is fully guaranteed. The contract is also structured with only $1.035 million in base salary for 2022, per Spotrac, with a base salary of $46 million in each of the next four years.

The structure would help reduce the money lost to a possible suspension since Watson would only forfeit his base salary from 2022 on a per-game basis.

The Browns have other experienced quarterbacks on the roster in Baker Mayfield and Jacoby Brissett in the event Watson is suspended.

Veteran defensive end Jadeveon Clowney chose to stay put this offseason by re-signing with the Cleveland Browns, and he revealed Thursday that part of the reason he made his decision was the team's acquisition of quarterback Deshaun Watson.

"I thought I played well here last year, and I feel like I can get better and pick off from what I did last year," Clowney told reporters. "Then my boy came here, Deshaun."

Clowney and Watson were former teammates together with the Houston Texans. The 29-year-old edge-rusher said he was waiting to make his decision this offseason based on where Watson landed.

"I was all about where my boy Deshaun was going," Clowney said. "I just wanted to go play with him and see what I can do with him again."

The Browns acquired Watson from the Texans in March in exchange for three first-round picks after a very public pursuit of the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback that also included the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers as potential suitors.

"I told him if he goes [to Cleveland] then I will follow him over here," Clowney said. "That's what it came down to."

It will likely take some time before Clowney and Watson are on the field together. There is a likelihood that Watson will face a suspension this season after 24 women filed civil cases against him accusing him of sexual assault or misconduct.

While playing on a one-year deal in 2021, Clowney enjoyed a productive season for the Browns. He racked up 37 total tackles with nine sacks and two forced fumbles. He re-signed with Cleveland on another one-year contract worth up to $10 million. Alongside All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett, Clowney remains a part of one of the best pass-rushing tandems in the NFL.

"Me and [Garrett] did some good things together,'' Clowney said. "We got along well. We played well together. We fed off each other. We're going to do the same thing this year, even better. ... We got a good thing going from last year. We want to keep it going this year."

The Cleveland Browns named Catherine Raiche as their new assistant general manager and vice president of football operations Thursday, making her the NFL's highest-ranking female team executive.

Raiche previously served as the Philadelphia Eagles' VP of football operations in 2021. In Philadelphia, she worked with current Browns general manager Andrew Berry.

"We're excited to welcome the newest members of our football operations staff and looking forward to others within our organization receiving expanded roles and additional responsibility," Berry said in a press release. "We have a number of talented people from various backgrounds that will maximize our efforts to create sustained success. We look forward to these staffing changes reinforcing the diverse, multi-disciplinary and collaborative work environment we strive to create."

Raiche will be replacing Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who left Cleveland to take the Minnesota Vikings' general manager job earlier this offseason. The 33-year-old began her career in football with the CFL's Montreal Alouettes in 2015.

In the midst of rumors that the Carolina Panthers are interested in pursuing a trade for Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield in exchange for Sam Darnold, it appears that deal is "very unlikely" to get done.

According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Browns are uninterested in acquiring Darnold with one source telling her he's "confident it’s not happening."

Cabot added that the Browns and Panthers have "remained in contact" since negotiations about a potential trade involving Mayfield broke down over NFL draft weekend, but Darnold "hasn’t been a serious part of the discussion."

Darnold is set to battle against rookie quarterback Matt Corral for Carolina's starting job. Cleveland publicly pursued Deshaun Watson this offseason and the team eventually acquired him, which caused Mayfield to express a desire to part ways with the team. Both Darnold and Mayfield will play the 2022 season on the fifth-year options on their rookie deals, which are both worth $18.9 million.

While Cleveland faces a lot of uncertainty surrounding its quarterback position, it's clear that bringing in Darnold is not a priority.

There is a strong possibility that Watson will face a suspension for at least a portion of the 2022 season because 24 women have filed civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault or misconduct. Cleveland has veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett on its roster and appears to be comfortable letting him line up under center if necessary.

The Browns are more concerned with unloading Mayfield's contract considering he is no longer on good terms with the organization. However, it's likely that the Browns will have to pay at least part of his salary even if they do eventually find a trade partner.

The Cleveland Browns had the honor of touring the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday, but one player reportedly decided not to take part.

Defensive end Myles Garrett accompanied the team to Canton, Ohio, and participated in the mandatory minicamp practice, but he skipped the tour because of his personal stance. Garrett had declared before his NFL career began that he wouldn't step foot into the Pro Football Hall of Fame until he earned an induction.

After being drafted No. 1 overall by the Browns five years ago, Garrett explained his personal policy about staying away from the Hall.

"It's kind of strange. I don't want to see [the Hall]. I want to see it if I'm able to achieve my goal," Garrett told the Akron Beacon-Journal as a rookie. "It's kind of like a test to me. You don't deserve to go there unless you're good enough to be in it. I want to see the greatness that's come before me, but I also want to be a part of it."

Knowing that a team trip to Canton was on the horizon, the 26-year-old reiterated his stance Friday during a community event.

"I’ve kept myself from going because I don’t want to go until I’m in it. Until I have my face in it, I don't want to go," Garrett said. "If we go as a team and [head coach] Kevin [Stefanski] says, 'I want you to go,' that's fair play. But I'm not trying to go until they have me in there for good."

If Garrett continues playing at the level he's established in his first five seasons, he won't have to worry about making it into the Hall of Fame. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Garrett is coming off his second straight first-team All-Pro season after he recorded career highs of 51 total tackles and 16 sacks. In 68 games over five years, Garrett has totaled 58.5 sacks.

Speaking to reporters for the first time in nearly three months, Deshaun Watson continued to deny the allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct levied against him.

"I never assaulted anyone," the Cleveland Browns quarterback said. "I've been saying it from the beginning, and I'm going to continue to do that."

Watson went on to say he "never assaulted, disrespected or harassed anyone" but that he does have "regrets as far as the impact that it's had on the community" (starts at 6:23 mark):

Deshaun Watson speaking LIVE with the media https://t.co/qAx3the4ZB

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) June 14, 2022

There have already been 24 civil lawsuits filed against Watson accusing him of sexual misconduct or sexual assault during massage appointments. Nakia Cooper of KPRC 2 in Houston reported Monday that two more civil lawsuits are expected to be filed, bringing the total up to 26.

Tony Buzbee, who is representing the women against Watson, confirmed the additional lawsuits to Josh Voight of WEWS.

Buzbee noted one of the women was referred to him by an Atlanta-based lawyer, and the second saw HBO's Real Sports segment on Watson and the lawsuits that aired May 24.

Watson was asked by one reporter why he should be taken at his word instead of the 26 women who have either filed a civil lawsuit or will file a civil lawsuit against him:

Deshaun Watson asked by Browns reporters why he should be believed over 26 women: "I understand that question and I definitely respect it. ... I've been honest and I've truthful with my stance, I never forced anyone, I never assaulted anyone."

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) June 14, 2022

Asked about potentially settling the lawsuits, Watson said he wants to "clear my name and be able to let all the facts come out in the court of law."

Per a June 7 report from Jenny Vrentas of the New York Times, Watson met with at least 66 women for massages over a 17-month period between the fall of 2019 and spring of 2021.

The Houston Texans, who Watson played for during that time period, indirectly helped facilitate those sessions by providing him with a membership at a private hotel and club, according to Vrentas:

It's unclear whether the Texans knew how many massages Watson was getting or who was providing them. But their resources helped support his massage habit away from the team. Watson acknowledged in a deposition that the Texans arranged for him to have 'a place' at The Houstonian. He used the fitness club, dined there and also set up massages in hotel rooms.

Watson didn't have a clear answer when asked Tuesday if Vrentas' report of 66 different massage therapists was accurate:

Deshaun Watson was asked if the NY Times report of at least 66 massage therapists is accurate. He says "I don't think so," but later adds that the question should be directed to his attorneys.

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) June 14, 2022

The Browns announced March 20 they acquired Watson from the Texans. They also gave him a five-year, $230 million contract extension that is fully guaranteed.

Watson was formally introduced by the team during a March 25 press conference. His comments about the civil lawsuits at the time are almost identical to what he said Tuesday.

“I never assaulted any woman. I never disrespected any woman,” Watson told reporters.

Despite the additional lawsuits that have already been filed and at least two more to come, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported June 10 that the Browns aren't looking to void Watson's contract or the trade with the Texans.

Watson is also subject to potential discipline from the NFL under the personal conduct policy. The three-time Pro Bowler hasn't appeared in a game since the final regular-season game of the 2020 season.

The Texans kept Watson on their 53-man roster last season, but he was inactive for all 17 games.

The Carolina Panthers are reportedly making a push to acquire disgruntled quarterback Baker Mayfield from the Cleveland Browns.

According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Panthers and Browns are holding trade talks focused on Mayfield with the main sticking point being how much of Mayfield's salary the Browns are willing to absorb.

Jones added that Carolina has made Cleveland its best offer yet for Mayfield, and there is a sense of "urgency" on the Panthers' side to get a deal done soon in order to have Mayfield in the fold for part of minicamp.

The Browns essentially turned the page on Mayfield in March when they acquired quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans and gave him a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract.

Before the Browns traded for Watson, Mayfield was clearly frustrated by the team even entertaining the idea:

With many uncertainties, here is where my head and heart is. pic.twitter.com/psipN96cmh

— Baker Mayfield (@bakermayfield) March 16, 2022

The Watson trade coupled with the signing of Jacoby Brissett as a backup quarterback in free agency spelled the end of Mayfield's tenure, but things have been slow to develop on the trade front.

There are likely several reasons for that, including negotiations on how Mayfield's $18.9 million 2022 salary will be divvied up, and the fact that the Browns have very little leverage given that teams know they have to part ways with him eventually.

At the same time, the Panthers are lacking leverage to some degree since the Browns are aware of their less-than-ideal quarterback situation.

For now, Sam Darnold is the de facto starter, but that status is tenuous at best given that he finished last season with a 4-7 record as a starter and completed just 59.9 percent of his passes for 2,527 yards, nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions, marking the second consecutive year in which he had more picks than touchdown tosses.

Behind Darnold is rookie third-round draft pick Matt Corral, who has no shortage of talent but doesn't necessarily have the feel of a day one starter.

Mayfield has his warts as a player, but the 2018 No. 1 overall pick is perhaps the best option the Panthers have right now.

While the 27-year-old struggled to the tune of a 6-8 record, as well as 3,010 yards, 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last season, he played much of the year with an injured non-throwing shoulder that required offseason surgery.

Also, Mayfield isn't far removed from a 2020 season that was the best of his career, as he completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also led the Browns to the playoffs for the first time since 2002 and to a playoff victory over the rival Pittsburgh Steelers.

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule is likely coaching for his job this season after going 10-23 in his first two campaigns, and he needs a quarterback who can best utilize running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver D.J. Moore.

Mayfield has had his ups and downs over the course of his career, but the numbers say he is a significantly better option than Darnold.