BEREA, Ohio -- Finding a consistent running game has been a challenge for Hue Jackson in his two-plus years as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, but the opposite might prove to be true during the 2018 season.
The Browns signed free agent Carlos Hyde, selected Nick Chubb with a second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and reached a long-term extension for emerging playmaker Duke Johnson, all since the middle of March.
“I think we’ve got a good three-headed backfield back there that we can do some damage with and they’ve been doing a great job in making a difference because we’re in a division you have to run the ball even when you know people you’re doing it, so we have the guys to do that and we’ve just got to continue getting better,” Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield said.
HYDE
Over his 50 games in four years with the San Francisco 49ers, Hyde turned 655 carries into 2,729 yards and 21 touchdowns with 133 first downs, 15 20-yard rushes and three 40-yard bursts. Additionally, the 6-foot, 235-pound Hyde, a native of Cincinnati, caught 109 passes out of the backfield for 634 yards and three touchdowns.
“You could turn on his film and definitely see what type of player he is,” Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor said. “Being in just helmets right now does not necessarily prove it because we know that he is a bruiser once the pads come on.
“Something that I have been impressed with is his catching ability. I did not really know much about Carlos before he came here. I played against him one time in Buffalo. To see him catch the ball out of the backfield and him run routes is definitely something that was shocking to me. He looks very good at it. Looking forward to using him.”
CHUBB
Despite sharing carries with Sony Michel, who was selected by the New England Patriots late in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the 5-foot-10, 225-pound Chubb rushed for 4,769 yards and 44 touchdowns on 758 carries for the University of Georgia.
A native of Cedartown, Georgia, Chubb eclipsed the 200-carry and 1,000-yard marks in three of his four seasons “between the hedges,” and helped the Bulldogs reach the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship Game this past January despite having a freshman quarterback at the helm of the offense.
Chubb began the 1,000-yard rushing campaigns with a career-high 1,547 yards and 14 touchdowns on 219 carries during his freshman season.
After being limited to just 747 yards on 92 carries because of a serious knee injury during his sophomore year, Chubb punctuated his collegiate career with back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons.
Chubb rushed for 1,130 yards and eight scores on 224 carries in 2016, and finished his career with 1,345 yards and 15 touchdowns on 223 attempts last fall.
“I’m looking forward to seeing ‘Los and Chubb put on the pads,” Mayfield said. “Those are guys that you’ll watch them, they’re so fundamentally sound, they’ll make good cuts and good reads, but then, when you put the pads on, you really see the difference.”
JOHNSON
In three years out of Miami, Johnson has rushed for 1,085 yards and five touchdowns on 259 carries, turned 188 catches into 1,741 yards and five scores, and enters the 2018 season on the heels of a career year last fall.
Despite the Browns finishing with an 0-16 record in 2017, Johnson rushed for 348 yards and a career-best four touchdowns along with 26 first downs. Additionally, Johnson caught 74 passes for 693 yards, three touchdowns and nine 20-yard throws.
All of Johnson’s receiving statistics from 2017 were single-season career bests and the catches and receiving yards were the most on the team last fall.
“I think Duke is just a playmaker,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said. “I think he can run with the ball. Now obviously, we have two other very capable runners. Obviously, his trait has been catching and he has caught it as well as anybody.
“He gives you that versatility to where you can put Duke in at a lot of places. I think he likes that. I think he relishes that opportunity to be all over the field, create mismatches and all of those things.”