NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport put Twitter into a frenzy on Monday afternoon when he broke the news that the Browns signed former Chiefs’ RB Kareem Hunt. As we all know, Hunt was cut by the Chiefs out of nowhere when a video surfaced from over the summer of him kicking and attacking a woman in a hotel room. Some thought he would never be in the league again, but when a player is in the prime of his career and is one of the best running backs in the league, there will always be a team that will give that player a chance. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a RB-needy team who picked up the troubled back, it was the Browns who have a young stud in Nick Chubb and the versatile Duke Johnson.
So, what does this mean for each player? Well, it would have been ideal if Kareem Hunt went to a team where he could be a three-down workhorse. He has one of the most elite three-down skill-sets in the league and deserved to have his own backfield. Even though he’ll likely thrive in what we think will be an electric offense under Freddie Kitchens’ and Todd Monken — we’ll just have to wait and see on his suspension length.
When it comes to Nick Chubb, he takes the greatest hit. As of right now, he only slid down to 12 on The Wolf’s 2019 Big Board, but just like above, it’ll be based on Hunt’s length of suspension. As a talent, Chubb blew up once the team traded away Carlos Hyde, finishing as PFF’s YAC leader. The former Bulldog will get a chance to be the team’s bell-cow, but we’ll just have to see how long it’ll last.
The writing looks like it’s on the wall for Duke Johnson. His contract is dirt cheap this year, but it rises to $3.5m in 2020 and $4.5m in 2021. Once Hunt eventually returns, Johnson could be moved. One would believe that the Browns will find a way to get both Hunt and Chubb on the field at the same time, which effectively erases Johnson from their plans.
Keep an eye on the 2019 Big Board and listen to the most recent episode of the FFBDPod to hear more thoughts on this acquisition.
