Cleveland Browns May Be Forced To Cut Key Playmaker In Camp

The Browns have a very crowded running back room heading into 2024, which may force the team to make some difficult decisions.

Browns running back D'Onta Foreman runs the ball during minicamp, Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Berea. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Cleveland Browns don't really know how their running back situation will shake out in 2024, primarily because it depends on the health of Nick Chubb.

Chubb suffered a devastating knee injury in Week 2 of last season, placing his status for the upcoming campaign in question. Chubb has not ruled out a Week 1 comeback and has apparently looked terrific in rehab, but there is still no genuine timetable for his return.

But what if Chubb doesn't have to begin the season on the injured reserve list? That will create a rather difficult problem for the Browns, as Chris Easterling of The Akron Beacon Journal notes.

Cleveland signed D'Onta Foreman this offseason in order to beef up the backfield in the event that Chubb is forced to miss most of 2024, but could Foreman end up getting cut if Chubb returns to the field sooner than we thought?

Easterling does not rule out the possibility, stating that the Browns will almost certainly not keep five running backs on the roster and that Foreman will likely battle Pierre Strong Jr. for the final spot on the depth chart.

Currently, Cleveland has Chubb, Jerome Ford, Foreman, Strong and Nyheim Hines in the fold. Ford is in line to be the No. 1 back in Chubb's absence, so if Chubb is able to get back on the gridiron early in the season, Ford will be the primary backup.

Hines fills a different role altogether. He carried the ball just 24 times for 33 times with the Buffalo Bills in 2023, but he is a very adept pass-catcher out of the backfield and could be utilized in different schemes and sets for the Browns. His uniqueness will almost certainly earn him a roster spot.

That leaves Foreman and Strong.

You have to think that Foreman has the edge over Strong, given that he rushed for nearly 1,000 yards two years ago and finished with 425 yards and four touchdowns in nine games with the Chicago Bears last season. Meanwhile, Strong has amassed a grand total of 391 rushing yards in two NFL campaigns.

However, Strong is three years younger than Foreman, which could ultimately play a role in Cleveland's decision.

We probably won't get a clear answer on this until very late in the summer, perhaps just before the regular season begins.

But all things considered, it seems hard to imagine the Browns simply cutting Foreman.