Cleveland Browns: Terrell Watson’s Opportunity
By Peter Smith
The lone addition to the Cleveland Browns at the running back position this offseason, Terrell Watson, will have every opportunity to succeed.
One of the criticisms for the Cleveland Browns in how they drafted and the offseason in general is how they dealt with the running back position. For a team that finished 22nd in the league in rushing yards, they only move they have made at the running back position so far has been to sign Terrell Watson from the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad within a week of hiring Hue Jackson to be the head coach.
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Jackson has been effusive and hyperbolic with his praise of Duke Johnson and Isaiah Crowell, saying their talent ‘is extreme’ to Pat McManamon of ESPN. Nevertheless, the one move Jackson made was to secure an undrafted free agent running back from that has yet to carry the ball in a regular season game.
This begs the question why?
Watson was an incredibly productive Division-2 running back at Azusa Pacific, where he set 20 team records, all of which had belonged to Christian Okoye. In 2014, Watson ran for 2,153 yards and 29 touchdowns in 11 games. For those who haven’t seen him, here are some highlights.
Clearly a man among boys, Watson showed how impressive he was when it came to athletic testing. At 6’ 236, Watson put up the following:
40-yard Dash: 4.55
20-yard Shuttle: 4.49
3-Cone: 7.48
Vertical: 35.5”
Broad Jump: 10’3”
Bench: 22
Watson shines when it comes to explosion and running downhill. His change of direction skills are mediocre at best. When watching him run the ball, Watson embraces his strengths and minimizes his weaknesses.
He gets downhill immediately and can be a powerful runner getting behind his pads to take on contact and running through some tackles. With rare exception, Watson is always working North and South. Rather than using jump cuts or moves that would force him to stop and start, he opts to stick his foot in the ground to maintain his momentum, so he can deliver hits as opposed to always taking them, enabling him to wear on the opponents as the game progresses.
In college, Watson was viable as an outside runner because he was so much more physically gifted than many of his opponents. In the NFL, he is likely to be restricted to operating between the tackles, but that is ideal for the role the Browns have in mind.
Whereas the Bengals had the players to load up the box and play power football, the Browns have smaller, more athletic weapons. The team will feature far more shotgun and try to create situations with limited opposition in the box where Watson’s size and power could be a huge advantage. This is also the offense that Watson was accustomed to running in college.
It would also benefit the Browns to have someone reliable when it came to short yardage and goal line situations; an area where they have struggled to run the ball in recent years. Watson could minimize the limitations having a spread offense would have inside the 5-yard line because of his size and strength.
The benefit for Watson spending last season on the Bengals’ practice squad is that he was a small school player that was able to adapt to the NFL, both in terms of the speed of the game and the life of an NFL player. That could make him more equipped to come in and make an impact for the Browns.
Watson is far and away the biggest running back on the Browns roster, currently listed at 242 pounds; 17 pounds heavier than Isaiah Crowell, the second biggest on the roster listed at 225.
Obviously, Hue Jackson likes to have the option of a big back in his offense, utilizing both Brian Leonard and then Jeremy Hill with the Bengals. And given the offense he wants to run, there is a huge opportunity for someone like Watson to overpower opponents if they have to go small to match up with their athletic weapons on the outside.
Be it by a misevaluation or design looking ahead to the vaunted running back class that is supposed to be available in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Browns opted to bet on their current roster with Watson than use a draft pick or rich free agent contact to address the running back position this year.
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The Browns only have five running backs on the roster and only Watson was handpicked by Jackson, so as long as he stays healthy, he will get a ton of reps to prove himself leading up to the 2016 season. In the event Watson proves viable, the Browns will get another dynamic to a running game that can certainly use it.