Veteran Running Back Trade Targets Browns Should Consider

After losing running back Jerome Ford to injury the Cleveland Browns have been exploring adding some depth at the position. Are there any running backs that would be worth trading for?

The Cleveland Browns are currently looking to add some running back depth to the roster after losing Jerome Ford to a hamstring injury earlier in the week. It is expected that Ford will be out a couple of weeks which could put his availability for Week one in jeopardy. 

We reported earlier that the team worked out a trio of running backs this week ahead of tonights game against Washington, none of whom you would expect to legitimately compete for a roster spot. 

While the team is confident in Ford being the primary backup to Nick Chubb, you would have to think they would at the very least have concerns about the risk of Ford suffering a reinjury early in the season.

You have to wonder if the team's thinking as of now is to bring in a body to help handle the load of the remaining preseason games while eyeing an addition who could negate any drop-off in play if Ford were to miss additional time. 

There are current free agent running backs out there the team could sign today. Another approach would be to monitor the depth charts of other teams for potential roster cuts. Teams often have to cut valuable players in order to get to their final 53 as simply a numbers game.

A strategy that I believe would make a lot of sense, would be to call up those teams who have an overload of talent at the position and see if you can pry one away ahead of roster cuts to make the other teams general manager's job a little easier.

Yesterday, I wrote about some potential Browns that could be move before cutdowns and listed reasons why. Today I reversed the role, and scoured through rosters, depth charts and reports from training camps across the league. 

I have found two players where a trade for the Browns could make some sense. These players would have trade value across the league so being cut wouldn't be the likeliest of outcomes. Not to mention the over $2M in dead cap the teams would have to eat to do so. 

Again as part of my evaluation process, I searched for players who wouldn't necessarily preclude Jerome Ford from being the number two back, yet also talented and proven enough to handle the role. 

Ideally, you would think in this scenario that the workload would be split between the two backs. The two guys that could make sense to swing a trade for are:

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1. RB- Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins 

Mostert is a little older at 31, has two years left on his contract but the acquiring team could get out of his 2024 contract year, by taking a $650k dead cap hit. His cap hit for this season alone would be $2.2M.

Despite his age, Mostert appears to have plenty of juice left as he has been one of the league's fastest and most productive runners over the last five seasons. In 2022 Mostert rushed for 820 yards on the ground and piled up another 212 receiving while splitting snaps with Jeff Wilson.

In my opinion, Miami has the most talented and crowded backfield in the league. With Mostert and the younger Wilson back, the team also drafted rookie De'Von Achane, who reportedly has been making explosive runs so far in training camp. The team also likes fourth year running back Salvon Ahmed and it would be risky trying to get him to the practice squad.

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2. RB- Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs

Edwards-Helaire, would be somewhat of a reclamation project as he hasn't quite lived up to the hype of being a first round pick. He has only one year left on his rookie deal after the Chiefs declined his 5th year option.

After rushing for over 800 yards as a rookie his numbers have declined over the past two due to a reduction in his carries. His overall career average yards per carry has remained steady though at 4.4 yds. Edwards-Helaire can also be a weapon out of the backfield, he has 72 receptions for 577 yards and 6 touchdowns in his career.

There has been serious talk all offseason concerning his role and his future with the team. After Isaiah Pacheco, stepped in to become the starter last season, the Chiefs went on tho win the Super Bowl. The team also resigned Jerick McKinnon and reports out of Kansas City allude to rookie Deneric Prince having a good camp.

Ultimately, the team would have to feel good about the costs of acquiring either player in terms of both contract and trade compensation. Perhaps a rare player for player swap, late round pick or a mid round pick swap could get a deal done.