Isaiah Crowell in an excellent long-term situation

The Cleveland Browns are sticking with veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer as their starter, so Isaiah Crowell will not benefit from Johnny Manziel starting. Alfred Morris got back on track when Washington Redskins QB Robert Griffin III returned to form, and Crowell would have also benefited from a running quarterback and read option plays called by ace offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. But even with Hoyer still starting, Crowell is in excellent situation in the Browns offense, because the O runs through him. The Browns are based on the running game, and even with Josh Gordon back in the fold and Jordan Cameron healthy, Hoyer is a game manager who shouldn’t be tasked with leading the offense; the Browns will use the run to set up the pass.

Throughout the season, the Browns have pretty much weeded out every running back besides Crowell, as it looked like they had an excellent three-headed monster in the backfield. At the time, Crowell was the No. 3 guy behind Ben Tate and fellow rookie Terrance West. Tate is out of the way now and on the Minnesota Vikings, and West is back in the Browns doghouse due to fumbling issues. Meanwhile, Crowell has consistently moved the ball for the Browns offense and is among the league leaders in long runs. He isn’t perfect, but he’s in a position to rack up touches with West also falling out of favor.

Browns head coach Mike Pettine hinted that the team will give carries to another UDFA in Glenn Winston, so that’s a storyline to watch this week. But Winston isn’t a real threat to Crowell’s touches, because while both are UDFAs, Crowell wasn’t just any UDFA. Many draftniks had him ranked above running backs from bigger schools like Jeremy Hill, Tre Mason, and Carlos Hyde. Those three backs have looked good this season, but Crowell has even more raw talent than those guys. If he didn’t get into major off-field trouble while at Georgia, he would have been at least a second-round pick instead of a UDFA coming into the NFL.

Crowell has averaged 4.4 yards per carry this season, and he’s trending up. Although he had just 29 yards on 17 carries last week, I think it’s important to put that game into context. First of all, the Buffalo Bills have an elite run defense, so it’s hard to do much damage against them. Secondly, the Bills didn’t have to respect the Browns passing attack, because Hoyer was busy throwing enough picks to get benched. If the passing attack isn’t working against a top-notch run defense, then the running game probably won’t go anywhere either. I think the fact that he had 17 carries, which was a season-high, is more telling, because it shows the faith that the Browns have in him. I mean, they were willing to keep on giving him the ball, even though he couldn’t even pull two yards per carry. It also tells us that he is clearly the team’s top option in the backfield right now, and that’s honestly been a season-long trend.

When looking at where Crowell’s stands with the Browns over the long term, it becomes clear that he is an even better situation than he is for the remainder of the 2014 season. As I said above, the effectiveness of the passing game impacts the efficiency of the running game, and the Browns passing attack will only get better. Josh Gordon is only going to get better as he develops a rapport with Johnny Manziel, who, in my opinion, will most likely be the starting quarterback in 2015. Moreover, Gordon is still learning the nuances of Shanahan’s offense. Jordan Cameron could leave in free agency, but the Browns will still have Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel. Both Gabriel and Gordon should be especially important as it related to Crowell’s success, since it’s playmaking receivers that can stretch defense vertically that have the most noticeable impact on running lanes. I mean, would you cheat up the safety if both Gabriel and Gordon are on the field with Manziel under center?

Of course, the Browns offensive line is probably the biggest positive for Crowell, because it will be unquestionably elite in the run blocking department when star center Alex Mack is healthy next season. Joe Thomas is the best tackle in the game, Joel Bitonio is quickly becoming one of the best guards in the game, and John Greco has been a pleasant surprise at the other guard spot this season. But Mack’s return to health would be a huge boon for Crowell, who has had to suffer behind some pathetic blocking up the middle from utility backup Nick McDonald.

Isaiah Crowell has to be the Browns running back of the future, even if West should eventually get back into the good graces of the Browns coaching staff. Winston is an intriguing name to watch for next week and potentially beyond, but the Browns have seemingly done everything to put Crowell in a position to be the team’s feature back. He hasn’t disappointed this season, and he’s in an offense that has the line and other skill position players to allow him to succeed on the ground.

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