Cleveland Browns: Beginning of the End for Isaiah Crowell?

The writing may be on the wall for Isaiah Crowell. In the turnover, penalty filled offensive disaster that was the Cleveland Browns against the St. Louis Rams, the Browns were relatively even in how they split up their running back touches. As long as their running backs stay healthy, that is probably going to change and while they will not completely phase out Crowell, they may reduce his workload.

Oct 25, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams middle linebacker James Laurinaitis (55) tackles Cleveland Browns running back Duke Johnson (29) during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Crowell led the Browns in terms of carries with eight, but he only gained nine yards and eight of those were on a single play. Robert Turbin in his second game for the Browns carried the ball six times for 30 yards with one that went for 22 yards and Duke Johnson carried the ball six times for 17 yards with his longest being 10.

Crowell had been in the role of being more of a power, straight ahead runner whether it was inside or out while Johnson was more of a slasher. His lack of vision has proven problematic time and time again on zone type runs, where he needed to see where the hole open and exploit it. The Browns put him in far more gap situations where the hole was predetermined and he just had to hit it and do his best after he got there. In a few situations, the blocking and his timing worked perfectly and Crowell would pop a big run.

Crowell was reliable in the sense that he could eat carries and he was not afraid to take the ball, get hit for low yardage and being reliable enough to do it again just as hard, hoping to break through.

Oct 25, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell (L) and St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley (R) swap jerseys after their game at Edward Jones Dome. The Rams won 24-6. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The problem for Crowell is that with a healthy Turbin, he is not as fast as Crowell, but he has the heft and power to run between the tackles, but also has better vision and patience. He seems to understand when he needs to do the best he can to just fight for yardage and when he can be patient, wait for the hole to open up and then attack. Crowell’s rushing struggles were and can still be mitigated by his success in the passing game.

Duke Johnson is a featured part of the passing game, catching another seven passes on seven targets against the Rams for 73 yards, giving him a total of 31 catches for 263 yards and a touchdown. He was not targeted in either of the first two games, so in the five games he has been targeted, he is averaging six catches for 52 yards per game.

Crowell has been utilized in opportunities when teams were so focused on stopping Johnson or just catching teams keying on him as a runner that does not go out for passers. Including a 53-yard catch and run, Crowell has caught nine passes for 122 yards and a touchdown.

That production and Crowell’s ability to make plays in space worked to mitigate some of his struggles rushing, just as it does for Johnson. The issue for Crowell, at least in the game against the Rams, was that he was not targeted for a single pass while Turbin was used as a blocker and caught two passes for eight yards.

Obviously, Turbin’s production as a receiver was nothing to write home about but if the Browns coaching staff feels good about how Turbin can contribute as a blocker and receiver in addition to what they like about him as a runner, Crowell may be running out of places where he can contribute.

Even when the Browns had Shaun Draughn, now released, they used three backs and there were some touches and opportunities for Draughn, but substantially less than with Crowell and Johnson. If the Browns firmly view Crowell as the third guy and do not see many obvious opportunities where they can get him the ball, especially when the playcalling is a little more forced with Crowell, his playing time and touches may drop substantially.

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A caveat to all of this is that while Turbin is a talented big back, he is one that has had issues staying healthy for basically entire career. The Browns may like what he gives them just as the Seahawks did when he was in Seattle, but if he is down due to injury, which is how the Browns obtained him in the first place on waivers, Crowell will be right back in the forefront.

This could be an issue for the Browns and Crowell in the offseason as well, since it seems likely they will continue to address and evolve the running back position, which could leave Crowell as the odd man out of the rotation. His talents, being what they are, just prove to be a difficult fit what the Browns need from the position.

The best case scenario for Crowell in Cleveland appears to be as the third back, which is what he was supposed to be when he was a rookie signed as an undrafted free agent, behind Ben Tate and Terrance West. Tate suffered an injury and proved to be a problem in the running backs room, so he was ultimately released and West and Crowell experienced success as a rookie tandem until Alex Mack suffered a season ending injury.

Now, Johnson has been a talented rookie but has looked far more like a terrific utility back than a feature one. The Browns have Turbin his injury history will likely force them to either attack the position in free agency or the NFL Draft as they try to find a reliable, workhorse that can take take the majority of the carries, be productive and create opportunities for Johnson.

Crowell could come back and be utilized a decent amount simply because the Browns play the Arizona Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals twice in the span of five days (November 1-5) and they want to try to spread the overall wear and tear between their backs. On the whole, with Turbin and Johnson, his touches are likely to start declining with Turbin and Johnson being more natural fits into their offensive scheme and resulting game plan. That could lead to Crowell being on the fringes of the roster next season.

Next: Fantasy Football: Top 20 Running Backs After Week 6

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