Cleveland Browns Isaiah Crowell interesting breakout candidate

Cleveland Browns young running back Isaiah Crowell came into the 2014 NFL Draft as one of the most talented players at the position, and he looked like a future star at the position at times, especially when it came to generating big plays on the ground. Crowell had ten runs that went for at least 15 yards in his 148 carries, and he finished with 607 total rushing yards. Despite the fact that he had all those big plays to boost his average, Crowell could only muster a mediocre 4.1 yards per carry and was one of the NFL’s most inconsistent backs.

2015 will be a huge season for Crowell, and his ability to move the ball on the ground could depend on the quarterback situation, which deteriorated severely near the end of the year. Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel couldn’t do anything near the tail end of the Browns season, so defenses didn’t have to respect Crowell or fellow rookie Terrance West. After gashing the Atlanta Falcons in Week 12 with two touchdowns and over seven yards per carry, the former Alabama State RB would not surpass the four yards per carry mark for the rest of the season.

It was that kind of a season for Crowell, who didn’t get to benefit from elite center Alex Mack for much of the season. That said, line play can never be an excuse for a Browns running back, even if the new starting center was a completely liability. Joe Thomas, rookie Joel Bitonio, and the unsung John Greco were all excellent starters on the Browns line, and Crowell failed to get more than what was in front of him on a consistent basis.

In fact, per Pro Football Focus, only four qualifying running backs averaged less yards after contact than Crowell: the perennially disappointing Darren McFadden, the hobbled Andre Ellington, the plodding cut-by-two-teams Ben Tate, and Denver Broncos intriguing change-of-pace guy Ronnie Hillman. All of those backs have been successful at some point in their careers, and Hillman did well for himself when he was first inserted as the Broncos feature back. That said, Crowell also had the least amount of missed tackles forced of all of these backs with ten.

Crowell’s game isn’t based around making defenders miss, though he did that against the Falcons on an impressive 26-yard run that was one of the highlights of the season for him. His game is, however, based around quick cuts and agility, as he has plenty of burst and uses his change-of-direction ability to gain yardage and break big plays. As a rookie, Crowell was too much of a home-run threat, and there’s a chance the Browns will need to change his rushing style in order to take advantage of his strength (he did 23 bench reps at the Combine to tie for fourth at the position).

Why might some changes be in order for Crowell? Well, even though he has plenty of strength, he was one of the NFL’s worst running backs at breaking tackles, as evidenced by his low missed tackle count and his bottom-five yards after contact average. Crowell, who doesn’t offer anything in the passing game, has to be more efficient than a 4.1 yards per carry average, and while having a better passing attack will greatly help him, he needs to do a better job of helping himself on the ground by making more defenders miss.

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It’s clear that Crowell has enough playmaking ability and raw talent to be a standout feature back in this league, and he did score eight touchdowns as a rookie. When he was the Browns lead back over West, the offense was better off as a whole. Unfortunately, consistency wasn’t a part of his game last season, as he did look too raw as a rusher. In nine of his 16 games, Crowell averaged under four yards per carry, and he was as likely to average over five yards per carry (he did this four times) as he was to average under three yards per pop (four times).

The Cleveland Browns offense will be under a microscope this offseason due to the character concerns floating around Johnny Manziel and Josh Gordon, and neither of them are locked in as starters for this team; Manziel’s concerns are mostly on-field, though there are some off-field issues, whereas Gordon’s are exclusively off-field issues. A new regime on the offensive side of the ball will have their work cut out for them, but their jobs would be a lot easier if they can get a strong running game going.

Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West both have the raw talent to make this happen, but it looks like they might have to operate as a committee, unless if one of them separates himself. I’d say Crowell, who has the upside to be a star, has the best chance of doing this, but he doesn’t even look like an every-down back. I mean, he caught just nine passes last season, looked like a liability in pass pro (to nobody’s surprise), and mainly lived off of big plays and touchdowns.

Based on what he showed last season, he’s an excellent raw rusher with upside, but one who might be better off taking carries in a committee than in a lead back role. Crowell is in a great situation and could be a breakout star for the Browns next season, but he has a big offseason ahead of him.

As always, consistency is the key at the running back position, and all the traits aren’t quite there for him yet. He was an absolute steal as an undrafted free agent and should have a big 2015 season on tap, because he could be a real force behind a strong line and legit passing attack. His numbers in 2014 were pretty average overall, but the big plays and upside make him one of the more intriguing players at the position.

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