The Cleveland Browns have signed troubled running back Kareem Hunt, but the move is one that seems like a highly unnecessary risk for the organization.
In December, the NFL world was rocked as video of running back Kareem Hunt assaulting a woman at a hotel surfaced. In the aftermath, Hunt was released by the Kansas City Chiefs and he was placed on the Commissioner Exempt List. He now faces a long suspension looking ahead to 2019. However, the Cleveland Browns still signed Hunt, making the announcement on Monday.
Browns general manager John Dorsey drafted Hunt in 2017 when he was still with the Chiefs before parting ways with Kansas City in June of that year. Thus, he has ties to the player and, in a statement released by the team, said that he determined that Hunt deserved a second chance.
Solely speaking about what he can do on the field, Hunt has proven to be a dynamic football player. The Toledo product came onto the scene strong as a rookie in Kansas City, rushing for 1,327 yards and eight touchdowns while adding 53 receptions for 455 yards and three scores in 16 games. In 11 games of the 2018 season, Hunt was still producing well with 824 yards rushing, seven rushing touchdowns, 378 yards receiving and seven more receiving touchdowns.
There’s no questioning that, in a vacuum, the Browns are adding a quality football player that could help the offense, even one with a solid stable of running backs. Having said that, this is an unnecessary risk for Cleveland.
For one, this is an organization that has been working diligently in recent years to try and change the culture, one mired in losing and turmoil seemingly since the moment they returned. And while Dorsey has a track record of giving second chances and taking risks, this move certainly puts them in a tricky spot regarding the culture they’re building.
On top of that, as previously stated, the Browns have a strong stable of running backs already in tow. Nick Chubb shined when the offense was put in the hands of new head coach Freddie Kitchens at the end of the 2018 season, and pairing him with Duke Johnson creates a formidable duo in the backfield already.
There’s no doubt that Hunt, on the field, would create even more matchup problems for opposing defenses. However, there’s not necessarily a need at the position in any regard. Thus, Dorsey and the Browns are taking a risk on a player who plays a position where they should largely be set for the future.
In truth, the hope is that Hunt has indeed learned from his severe errors and that, given a second chance, he will prove that he was worth it. And, for all we know, this signing may be inconsequential depending on the terms of his looming suspension.
From what we see right now, though, this is a move that the Browns simply didn’t need to make. For the sake of fans in Cleveland that have endured quite a bit, let’s hope this isn’t another choice that comes back to bite them in a bad way.