CLEVELAND — When new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt joined the Cleveland Browns earlier this offseason, he immediately began breaking down film of his new players from the 2019 season and was impressed by the talent.
Van Pelt was particularly intrigued by the talent in the backfield, and if the Browns re-sign restricted free agent running back Kareem Hunt this offseason and again pair him with Nick Chubb, that would give them an advantage over opponents for the 2020 season.
“I think it creates unbelievable matchups,” Van Pelt said during his introductory press conference at team headquarters Wednesday.
“If you want to keep a smaller defensive group out there, then you can run the ball with two effective runners. If you want to get bigger and try to stop the run, now you have mismatch problems if you motion one of those guys out of the backfield because both of those guys are good route runners and can catch the ball well. It is interesting, but it is going to be something that I think we would have those guys on the field a lot because of those.”
During the 2019 season, Chubb finished second in the league with 1,494 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 298 carries with 62 first downs, 11 20-yard gains and four 40-yard rushes against only two lost fumbles.
Also, Chubb made 36 catches going for 278 yards, 13 first downs and four 20-yard plays.
In 2019, Chubb set career highs for carries, rushing yards, first downs and receptions, as well as receiving yards and first downs. Chubb matched his single-season bests for rushing touchdowns, 20-yard plays and 40-yard gains.
In two NFL seasons, Chubb has rushed for 2,490 yards, 16 touchdowns, 109 first downs, 22 20-yard gains and eight 40-yard plays to go along with 56 catches for 427 yards, 18 first downs, two scoring passes and six 20-yard bursts.
“The more of him I have watched, the more impressed I am,” Van Pelt said. “He is a strong runner. He has the speed to get through the hole, but he also has the ability to break those arm tackles. Those guys aiming for his legs… He runs through a lot more arm tackles than I thought just watching. A very strong runner with width, burst and speed and has great vision and feel.
“He has great patience. He does a great job of stepping on the linemen’s heels before he makes the cut. He knows the right distance to stretch. He has a great feel for it already.”
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Although the Browns added another talented ball carrier to the backfield in Hunt after he served an eight-game suspension, Chubb’s numbers did not drop off. The second-year rusher from Cedartown, Georgia registered four of his seven 100-yard games after Hunt returned in time for the Week 10 game against the Buffalo Bills.
Hunt was productive, too, when he was not serving as Chubb’s lead blocker.
Hunt rushed for 179 yards, eight first downs and two touchdowns on 43 attempts and turned his 37 receptions into 285 yards, two 20-yard gains, 17 first downs and one score.
“He is very exciting to watch,” Van Pelt said. “You can see the passion for the game come out in his play. He seems like a team guy. Whether he is lead blocking, running routes out of the backfield or carrying the ball, he does it all well. To have two of those guys is exciting.”