Getty Images Running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt of the Cleveland Browns.
The Cleveland Browns have a loaded running back room and Kareem Hunt has been floated as a key trade piece for the squad.
With the Browns having some of the best depth in the league at running back behind Nick Chubb in Hunt, D’Ernest Johnson, Demetric Felton and rookie Jerome Ford. Hunt is entering the final year of his deal with the Browns and his potential upside makes him the most valuable trade chip of those players — outside of Chubb, of course.
Bleacher Report has laid out a proposed trade where the Browns deal Hunt to the Bengals prior to the season, getting Cincinnati’s 2023 third-round pick and 2023 fifth-round pick in return. Here’s what author Alex Kay had to say about the deal:
The Cincinnati Bengals would benefit from adding a change-of-pace option like Hunt. The team has an immense talent in Joe Mixon but has little depth behind the starting RB.
If the Bengals wish to improve the backfield and extend Mixon’s career by lightening his burden, they should consider kicking over a Day 2 pick plus a later selection to snag Hunt away from a divisional rival.
Hunt-Chubb Combo Has Yet to Thrive Consistently for Browns
The question becomes whether or not the Browns would deal a key playmaker within the division, with the possibility that he’d significantly improve the defending AFC North champs.
Hunt has appeared in 32 games with the Browns after signing in 2019. He’s missed 17 games due to suspension and injury, rushing for 1,406 yards and 13 touchdowns. He’s also added 97 catches for 763 yards and another six touchdowns.
With both Chubb and Hunt dealing with injuries, the Browns haven’t been able to exactly optimize their production together. And there’s also the fact that Cleveland has rarely put them on the field together.
“Those are all things we talk about,” Browns head coach and offensive play-caller Kevin Stefanski said in December of 2021. “We want to make sure whatever we do is sound in thinking and sound schematically, those type of things. Those are two great players. We’ve got to make sure that they’re involved so that we can be productive in the run game and in the pass game.”
D’Ernest Johnson’s Situation Wild Card for Browns
The reason Hunt has become a bit more disposable is because of the emergence of Johnson last year when both he and Chubb were on the shelf. Johnson capitalized on his opportunities when the injuries struck, notching 534 yards on 100 carries with three touchdowns. He also collected 19 receptions for 137 yards.
Johnson was a restricted free agent this offseason but did not sign an offer sheet from another team before the deadline. The Browns hold his exclusive rights and are the only team he can negotiate with, although he has yet to sign his tender. Johnson signed with super-agent Drew Rosenhaus this offseason, which could be a sign he’s looking to play hardball.
The Browns also decided to add Ford in the draft. He was a one-year starter with Cincinnati but made an impact, rushing 214 times for 1,319 yards and 19 touchdowns.