Cleveland Browns: Isaiah Crowell Not a No. 1 Running Back

The game plan had by Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine and the rest of his staff is currently being roadblocked by one particular problem.

A hope had by those within the Browns and also fans of the franchise was that Isaiah Crowell, Terrance West, Duke Johnson or a player not on the Cleveland roster as of August 1 would, by the conclusion of last Saturday’s “dress rehearsal” game involving the Browns and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, prove himself worthy of being atop the depth chart at the running back position. A majority of eyes have been on Crowell since the start of training camp, and it was “The Crow” who received the most carries against the Buccaneers among the three named backs.

Crowell’s performance versus Tampa Bay was similar to what he provided the Browns throughout his rookie campaign. The second-year pro brought the away Cleveland fans onto their feet with a ten-yard scurry. Crowell picked up nine yards on a reception. He was also largely a non-factor on the bulk of the offensive plays that saw him touch the football, as he averaged roughly 2.43 yards per carry (17 yards on 7 run plays) outside of his longest gain from the backfield.

Saturday night would not, on its own, be a reason for fans to be concerned about Crowell or the Cleveland rushing attack. Anybody can have an off night, and the Cleveland first-team dominated the Tampa Bay starters minus one Tampa Bay offensive drive that ended with the Buccaneers putting seven points on the scoreboard. The Browns are looking at signing at least one free agent running back before the preseason comes to an end because Crowell has yet to show that he has significantly improved from last December.

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Not even the biggest Cleveland optimist should have hoped that Crowell would be bringing visions of Matt Forte, Adrian Peterson, LeSean McCoy or any other fantasy football stud running back to minds at this point of his National Football League career. The worry is that the Browns may have the worst group of running backs in the AFC North. The Steelers have Le’Veon Bell. Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard will fight for carries while playing for the Cincinnati Bengals. Justin Forsett of the Baltimore Ravens will be looking to prove that his 2014 season wasn’t a fluke.

Would any general manager in the NFL take Crowell over those other AFC North running backs?

Crowell’s ability to keep plays alive and keep his legs churning after he delivers punishing stiff arms is impressive. That one trait does not make for a bell cow NFL running back. Where is the explosiveness and the physical skills to make plays out of the backfield more than once or twice per game? At no point of the summer months has Crowell looked the part, and he has offered little evidence that he would rush for 1,000 yards in 2015 if he was the top back of the Browns. That’s concerning considering the Browns are supposed to have a top offensive line.

Crowell is not the only Cleveland running back who failed to stand out for the Browns in August. Terrance West has more often than not left much to be desired since the start of training camp. There were whispers early in the summer that coaches were less-than-pleased with West’s fitness levels at the start of camp, and he is quickly earning a “Twinkle Toes” nickname for the dance steps that he takes in the backfield after receiving hand offs. Even West’s 17-yard carry against the Buccaneers was underwhelming, as the Cleveland offensive line opened up a truck-sized hole on that play.

The saga of rookie running back Duke Johnson has been downright frustrating for the Browns. Johnson has been a spectator for most of the summer because of a lingering hamstring issue. Needed reps that a rookie running back requires in August have now been lost for good, and Johnson could find himself sidelined again after suffering a concussion in the Cleveland victory over Tampa Bay. No football player who suffers a serious head injury on a Saturday should take the field for a game the following Thursday, so Johnson’s preseason is likely over.

All of the hype that surrounded Johnson once he was drafted by the Browns is now worth nothing to the team. Johnson is not even an unknown commodity because he hasn’t proven that he can be a pro football player for any longer than a handful of days. Only when coaches and fans do not have to hold their breaths and cross fingers each time that Johnson gets a touch on the ball during the games will the Browns be able to start assessing what the team has in the first-year back.

The signing of journeyman quarterback Josh McCown this past offseason was followed by Pettine explaining that the Browns were going to rely heavily on a stellar backfield that would lighten the load for the veteran signal-caller. Not only did that not occur during the preseason. McCown was the main man for the first-team offense of the Browns. Things went alright for McCown against the Washington Redskins and at the Buccaneers, his night versus the Buffalo Bills included a pair of interceptions, and the Tampa Bay game provided one scary moment for the 36-year old.

Rumors that the Browns had at least tossed around the idea of giving former Baltimore Ravens running Ray Rice an opportunity to earn a roster spot popped up in early August. They haven’t disappeared, in part because the Browns have looked like a side that needs to bolster that part of the offense. That a team that employs media-magnet Johnny Manziel has not completely dismissed Rice as an option unintentionally says quite a lot about what Pettine and others within the Browns think of the team’s running backs with the start of the regular season looming ahead.

What happens if the Browns elect to not take a flier on Rice and instead trust that Crowell, West and Johnson will all be ready and all be able to contribute for the Browns starting in Week 1 against the New York Jets? Crowell would likely be named the starter for that game, if only because somebody should be given an opportunity to pick up momentum in the backfield. Crowell would win the gig by default, much like Brian Hoyer did in the summer of 2014. That debacle may have set the Browns back at least a year.

History may be repeating itself for the Browns, this time among the running backs on the roster.

Next: Ray Rice Deserves Another Chance

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