A big-time trade went down last night as the tanking and rebuilding Carolina Panthers shipped off running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers. With McCaffrey off the market, running back needy teams may now have no choice but to call the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns should do some calling of their own, but the other team in the McCaffrey sweepstakes was the Los Angeles Rams. Cam Akers has not panned out and the team looks poised to move him. After missing out on McCaffrey, this wide-zone-oriented team should have Andrew Berry on speed dial.
The Browns are operating the best running game in the NFL, and that is largely due to the success of their offensive line despite injuries, and superstar back Nick Chubb. After his running mate Kareem Hunt requested a trade this summer, it may finally make sense to move both him and D’Ernest Johnson.
Both players have been under-utilized in 2022
When you have a talent like Chubb on your roster, it makes sense that other running backs might not get the opportunities they deserve. This has been the case with both Hunt and Johnson in 2022.
This is not to say the Browns have not gotten Hunt involved this season, because they have. Outside of the Week 6 game against the New England Patriots where the Browns were forced to climb back very early in the second half, Hunt has seen double-digit carries in every other game. He has also already seen 17 targets in the passing attack.
However, when speaking of a back with the caliber of Hunt, these numbers are pedestrian. This is why he requested a trade in the first place. Hunt is an excellent back in the passing game, both as a protector and receiver, and is averaging over four yards per carrying on the ground as well. There are no opportunities for Hunt in Cleveland given the talent of Chubb.
Johnson, on the other hand, has been a healthy scratch on multiple occasions this season. His only touches have come in garbage time and he sees the field predominantly only on special teams. After rushing for 100 yards twice a season ago when playing for a beat-up Hunt and Chubb, Johnson has proven to have the eyes to exploit cutbacks in a wide-zone system.
Both of these backs have tremendous talent that has gone underutilized. This is at no fault of the Browns, who are giving Chubb the most touches he has ever seen, but they should capitalize on the talents that other teams may be willing to overpay for.
Teams get desperate at the deadline
The McCaffrey deal is not evidence that teams get desperate at or near the deadline and are willing to shell out well over value in hopes of improving their chances of competitive football. McCaffrey is a good player, without a doubt, but giving up two day-two picks and more for a back that has missed more games than he has played over the past three years is a massive risk.
This is an opportunity for the Browns to get a larger ransom for Hunt, and even an increased bill for Johnson as well. For a team that just sold out every high draft pick over the next two years, this should be music to their ears to recoup those picks.
Missing their next two first round picks, a third rounder this year, and a fourth rounder in 2024 from their blockbuster trade this past Spring, there are clear opportunities to recover at least a fraction of those assets.
Both Hunt, Johnson are walking elsewhere anyway this Spring
Another reason it would be wildly irresponsible not to at least inquire about moving one of their excess backs would be that they are both on expiring contracts. And given the status of both backs (one asked for a trade, and one has not been used at all), at this point, it is a fair assumption that both will walk after the conclusion of this season.
Sure, each could contribute to the compensatory pick formula after the season, but when the probability of getting a day-two pick out of Hunt alone exists it has to be taken. The Browns have to very seriously consider trading Hunt.
This could be the plan of attack with Johnson, however. Given that his trade value is likely that of a late seventh rounder, the Browns might be better off using him as the second running back should Hunt be moved, then capitalizing on his new contract elsewhere toward the compensatory pick formula.
Final thoughts
The Rams are desperate for a top running back, and they have made that clear. McCaffrey is off the market, but a back who once led the league in rushing, and has a plethora of experience in a wide-zone system is still on it.
It would seem unlikely that the general manager out in Los Angeles in Les Snead would not even make a phone call. Hunt’s value alone, especially as teams get even more desperate to prove they can still compete, surpasses that of a compensatory pick. It makes no sense to hold onto an expiring contract while currently sitting at 2-4 and who has their starting quarterback shelved for five more weeks.
Hunt, and Johnson for that matter, are both gone after this season. There is a reasonable explanation for keeping Johnson, who is also set to walk this offseason, but maximizing the trade value of Hunt must be seriously pursued. It is time for general manager Andrew Berry to do what he does best and get draft capital out of some of the expiring contracts on the Browns’ roster.
