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After missing the first eight practices with a groin injury, Kareem Hunt will be on the field when the Cleveland Browns rev things up for the Orange and Brown scrimmage on Saturday.
It was announced that the running back would be participating in the game at FirstEnergy Stadium just before kickoff.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Hunt landed on the non-football injury list with a groin injury suffered while working out between minicamp and training camp.
Hunt was handed an eight-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, but should be a key contributor down the stretch as the Browns look to break a 16-season playoff drought.
The Browns have been ravaged by injury at the running back position in training camp, with Duke Johnson nursing a hamstring and rookie Trayone Gray also on the active/non-football injury list. It’s been Nick Chubb, Dontrell Hilliard and D’Ernest Johnson carrying the load so far, and the team signed undrafted free agent A.J. Ouellette for some relief.
Kareem Hunt Will be Key Contributor Down the Stretch For Browns
Hunt’s numbers on the field have been gaudy. In his first two seasons, the Toledo product racked up 2,151 rushing yards, 833 receiving yards. He made the Pro Bowl in 2017 as the league’s leading rusher and was on pace for another strong season before being let go by the Chiefs.
Hunt was handed an eight-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, but should be a key contributor down the stretch as the Browns look to break a 16-season playoff drought.
The preseason is going to be extra important for Hunt as he looks to learn the playbook and gain chemistry with his teammates.
Browns Supporting Hunt on Road to Redemption
After a disturbing video of Hunt kicking and shoving a woman in a Cleveland hotel was released, the Pro Bowl back was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs.
Just months later, the Browns decided to make the controversial move to sign Hunt. What helped in the decision making process was that general manager John Dorsey had a relationship with the running back dating back to his time with the Kansas City Chiefs, when he selected Hunt in the third round out of Toledo.
But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing so far.
On July 1, TMZ released a video Hunt speaking with police following an alleged incident at a Cleveland bar. A Cleveland police spokeswoman told Heavy there was not a police report following what was initially rumored to be a bar fight, and it was later revealed to be just a “small argument” with one of his friends.
“We understood what the facts were,” Dorsey said at his opening training camp press conference. “He understands there’s no guarantees in life. He’s working his fanny off on the field and off-the-field as well.”
Kitchens showed a bit of sympathy for his running back, knowing nothing is easy for high-profile players in the public eye in this day and age of technology.
“It’s never been harder to be a player in the National Football League,” Kitchens said. “Everything they do is under a microscope and with the advancements of social media and all that kind of stuff, every little thing — doesn’t matter how little or how small — it’s always going to made into a bigger deal. Kareem is always going to have our support. We are going to continue to support him just like we do every player we have. I’ll reiterate that we want them to be a better person 50 years from now and still be able to sustain and be successful in life instead of just worrying about right now.”
Browns owner Dee Haslam has said while they’re happy to have Hunt, he’s still got work to do.
“It’s up to him. It truly is up to him. We have high expectations for our players,” she said. “You have to take the situation very, very, very seriously. We spent a lot of time and John (Dorsey) spent a lot of time with Kareem. We felt like he has potential as a person, which is obviously as important as a player. He needs to continue to work really hard to be a member of our organization.”
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