There is no such thing as putting too much talent on the field at once in the NFL, and while they wait for their new franchise quarterback to come off suspension, the Cleveland Browns will look to deploy two of their best offensive threats at the same time more often, even if it may look a bit unconventional.
With Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt both proving to be capable difference makers for the Browns offense in Week 1, head coach Kevin Stefanski hinted that he’d look to use them in two back sets more often after finding success with them in the season opener.
Asked about his decision to use them as a two-headed attack on offense against the Carolina Panthers at a Monday press conference, Stefanski seemed confident that their use in this application would bear fruit for Cleveland moving forward, and that both backs stood to gain by seeing the field with each other more consistently.
“It is something that we are always going to explore week in and week out what we feel like gives the defense a tough time,” Stefanski explained. “There were plenty of snaps versus that defense of looks like that. We will continue to explore those type of things. Part of the offensive gameplan is to do what we do but also try to do things that may give them problems. Moving forward, definitely could see something like that growing.”
Using his two best ball carriers in this smashmouth application plays into the kind of hard-nosed football Browns fans have come to expect from their underdog team and should lay a good groundwork to play ball-control football while they wait on their franchise quarterback’s debut. Chubb’s mere presence on the field will be enough to open up looks for Hunt in the running game, and with both of the backs in formation together, opposing defenses will have no choice but to key in on the ground attack.
This should serve to free up receivers when Cleveland needs to move the ball through the air and could prove to be a key factor in the team’s success if the coaching staff schemes these unique looks correctly.
