Following Jerome Ford’s injury, the Browns Sign a New RB
With Jerome Ford out, the Cleveland Browns added depth on their practice squad by acquiring Jordan Wilkins.
A few weeks are anticipated to pass for Ford due to the ankle injury he sustained against the Indianapolis Colts. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the running back for the Browns, who is in his second season, has a low-grade, high ankle sprain.
Due to a knee injury that forced Nick Chubb to miss the whole season in Week 2, Ford assumed the role of lead back. In terms of carries (78) and yards (344), he leads the club. This season, he has averaged 4.4 yards per carry.
Wilkins will join the practice squad but it’s likely that he’ll end up on the active roster once he’s up to speed. The Browns signed Deon Jackson to the active roster prior to facing the Colts but he was waived on Monday, October 23.
The former fifth-round pick is well-traveled, having played with the Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans. He’s appeared in 54 games with four starts in his career, all but one of those coming with the Colts. He’s totaled 1,009 yards rushing and four touchdowns in his career. Wilkins can also catch the ball out of the backfield, notching 41 catches for 262 yards.
Wilkins was a fifth-round pick in 2018 out of Missouri. Here’s what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had to say about Wilkins prior to the draft.
A deft runner who possesses excellent size and agility, as well as the lateral quickness to evade tacklers in open space and the speed to make them feel the pressure, Zierlein wrote. “His footwork and vision allow him to be effective along the interior, but he lacks the aggressive running demeanor to take it to tacklers.”
Ford out, Browns will rely on Kareem Hunt
With Ford down, Kareem Hunt will have to shoulder more of the weight. Not long after Chubb was declared out for the season, on September 21, Hunt was signed by the Browns.
Hunt has been coming back into game form for the Browns, and in the last two games, he has recorded double-digit carries. Three touchdowns and 32 carries for 103 yards have been hiss; two of those came against the Colts.
With four downs remaining and the game on the line, the Browns leant heavily on Hunt, who was nursing a thigh injury. For the touchdown that would win the game, he bullied the ball into the end zone.
How about what I observed? What took that one, do you know? Head coach of the Browns, Kevin Stefanski, stated, “It took guts.” Talk about bravery. On that final play, the elderly man was standing on one leg and was not going down.
Hunt has also caught five catches for 46 yards. He’ll have some help from Pierre Strong Jr., who is coming off a season-high eight carries. He’s averaged 4.9 yards per carry this season
Browns Still Assessing Deshaun Watson’s Health
The run game will have elevated importance if quarterback Deshaun Watson misses any more time. Watson has been dealing with a rotator cuff strain and exited against the Colts after taking a hard hit.
His status for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks is questionable and the Browns are taking it one day at a time.
Stefanski stated, “As you can imagine, I’m really day-to-day.” “I understand that most of you are probably tired of hearing me say this, but every day we have to make decisions based on the information we have.”
Watson didn’t seem well before leaving the game. He was only one of five for five yards with an interception, and his throws lacked zip.
For Heavy.com, J.R. DeGroote writes about the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Cowboys, and Cleveland Browns. With prior positions at SB Nation and Bleacher Report, he has decades of expertise in digital journalism. He covered local and statewide sports as a reporter for West Hawaii Today. For his sports photography and reporting, he has received numerous state, regional, and national awards. J.R. DeGroote’s biography
