Cleveland Browns: 3 Standouts in OTAs to follow this summer
By Cory Kinnan
RB Dontrell Hilliard
One of the more interesting position groups on the Browns’ roster is the running back room. While Nick Chubb is well positioned to be a bellcow and is in line for a massive amount of carries, the other backs on the roster present a ton of uncertainty.
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Duke Johnson Jr. is just one full season removed from the most productive year of his career and a new three-year deal. Now he may not even make the final 53-man roster after requesting a trade from the Browns earlier this offseason. While he is no risk of being cut by the Browns, John Dorsey could get a phone call at any time with an offer he cannot refuse; should he get that phone call, Johnson Jr. could be on the first flight out of town.
Dorsey also made headlines by signing former Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt after he was cut for getting into a physical altercation with a woman. Hunt, as a result, will have to sit out the first eight games in 2019 with a league suspension.
The door is wide open for Dontrell Hilliard, who mainly contributed as a returner a year ago, to see the field often in 2019. Chubb will have to take a break, and if Johnson is gone and Hunt is out, Hilliard is the next man up.
Hilliard has looked great in camp thus far as both a back and a receiver, and looks primed to take over the role of Johnson, should he be dealt. Keep an eye on Hilliard as the summer progresses as he may see the field much more often in 2019 for the Browns.