Team news: Cleveland Browns | Page 8

"And since (Roschon Johnson has) gotten in there, we really love the style. We’re just gonna keep letting that thing compete out where it belongs, and we’ll see where it goes."

Related players: Khalil Herbert, D'Onta Foreman

Fantasy opinions have been all over the place when it comes to Johnson and his potential, while reports so far say Herbert has had a great camp and will be tough to overtake as the RB1. Johnson got a couple reps with the first team in 11/11 and in the two min drill on Monday. Cronin said Bears coaches are impressed with what they've seen to give him a look with the starters. The unnamed coach in the post added about Johnson: "Just the running style. He’s a downhill guy that we’re excited about. He’s got good vision."

The Patriots are expected to sign former Cowboys star RB Ezekiel Elliott to a 1-year deal worth up to $6M after his successful FA visit earlier in camp.

Related players: Rhamondre Stevenson, Pierre Strong Jr., J.J. Taylor, Kevin Harris

As Rapoport added, New England loves Stevenson, but they’ve been seeking a running back to bang it between the tackles, while adding Elliott's prowess in pass blocking at the same time. The move seemed to be in the works for a while. Elliott is expected to take on a Damien Harris-type role in the Patriots offense, a role that saw Harris collect about 9-10 carries a game last season in 11 games. He ran for 4.36 YPA and added three TDs. Although older than Harris, Elliott could potentially see a similar workload, and he also has some pass-catching ability as well. Still, Elliott will likely be tough to trust even as a flex, at least early in the season until we see his role.

Browns RB Jerome Ford was listed as inactive for the Hall of Fame game, alongside starting running back Nick Chubb.

Related Players: Demetric Felton, John Kelly

This is a good look for Jerome Ford, who has been forecasted as the RB2 in Cleveland throughout the preseason. Chubb should be the head and shoulders workhorse back for the Browns this season, but Ford's current ADP has him going all the way back in the 20th round. In deep leagues, Ford is absolutely worth a look.

The Patriots are hosting free agent RB Ezekiel Elliott on a visit today. The team has also had Dalvin Cook on its radar as it examines backfield additions behind starter Rhamondre Stevenson.

Related Players: Rhamondre Stevenson, Pierre Strong Jr, Ty Montgomery

This would be a gigantic damper on Stevenson's early down role, but it looks like the team is determined to find a FA veteran RB in the mix. Hopefully a prospective signing will continue to put a damper on his ADP, as he should still have a majority role in the offense.

Bills RB Nyheim Hines suffered a significant knee injury off-site and is expected to miss the entire 2023 season. A tough break for Buffalo and the versatile Hines, who was acquired at the trade deadline last fall.

Related Players: Damien Harris, Latavius Murray

The Bills have been looking for a pass-catching back and missed out on nabbing J.D. McKissic, which led to their eventual trade for Hines last season. It looks like his role(s) will be filled in with what they currently have on their roster, but keep in mind that Josh Allen has been near the bottom of the league in running back target shares since coming into the NFL.
This makes James Cook slightly more compelling, but now is likely not the time to load up on him, seeing as he was going in the 8th and 9th rounds before this news. If his ADP sneaks up into the 6th on what is likely inconsequential news, stay away.

The New England Patriots have waived running back James Robinson after signing him to a two-year, $4M deal this offseason.

Related Players: Rhamondre Stevenson, Ty Montgomery, Pierre Strong Jr.

The contract had only $150,000 in guaranteed money, which was a red flag, to begin with. This strengthens the case even further for Rhamondre Stevenson to be an absolute fantasy stud this season and possibly opens up the door for a little more usage from Strong.
There has been a light buzz on more Ty Montgomery usage, but that has been circulating for about three seasons across multiple teams, so we would do well to ignore that.

Though Khalil Herbert is taking first-team reps during OTAs, the competition for the RB1 with the Bears includes D'Onta Foreman, Travis Homer, and fourth-round pick Roschon Johnson.

In the article, running backs coach David Walker was quoted as saying, “No one has earned a seat in that room yet, and they’re all going to earn their seats from what we do now until August whatever, whenever that third preseason game is,” Walker said. “So that’s the good thing and they know it. That’s been communicated to them.”

This makes the presumed "backups" more intriguing in fantasy drafts, as they are basically free at the moment. Roschon Johnson is coming off the board as the RB46 in the 13th round, while D'Onta Foreman is the RB51, in the 14th.

Per Zac, Elijah Moore was frequently targeted by Deshaun Watson throughout Wednesday's practice, mostly on quick passes. Their best connection of the day came in a red-zone 7-on-7 period for a touchdown as Moore used a double move and turned to see the ball delivered right where he wanted it. The Browns are clearly stressing three things: fast tempo, an attacking mindset on defense, and feeding wide receiver Moore.

Related Players: Marquise Brown, David Bell, Donovan Peoples-Jones

Jackson would continue later in the article; "We’re seeing Moore line up in different spots and plenty of Moore going in motion. How his exact role shakes out remains to be seen, but from two open practices, it’s clear the Browns want to get him the ball on short passes and let him create."

This is good news for Moore and those of us who wanted to see him get another chance after his interesting talent set was left to die on the vine while catching passes from the Zach Wilsons of the world. If the Browns really do use him in the inside and outside, there is a chance we can see Moore in some 2WR sets this season.

Per Zac, "Jerome Ford got the first action (and first carry) in the first team drill. Chubb’s absence makes this an even bigger spring for Ford, who impressed the team’s decision-makers as a rookie but appears headed for a much larger role this season."

It looks as if it was just a general rest day for Nick Chubb.

Related Players: Demetric Felton, John Kelly

It looks like all systems go for Jerome Ford as the team's locked-in RB2, barring anything unforeseen. Ford was used sparingly in his rookie season, but the fifth-round rookie looks poised to take over the backup role that is currently vacant with Kareem Hunt sitting in free agency. Chubb should have a monster workload this season, but it doesn't mean we should ignore Ford in fantasy.

The Broncos are picking up the fifth-year option on WR Jerry Jeudy, locking him in for 2024. No surprise, they had plenty of interest from teams wanting to trade for him, but Jeudy is a big part of their future.

Related Players: Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, Marvin Mims

"Plenty of interest" seems like quite the stretch, considering the rumors that the team was shopping both Jeudy and Courtland Sutton for months now. The team also spent a second-round pick on Marvin Mims. A fading Russell Wilson needs all the help he can get, but this could possibly point toward a future trade involving Sutton.

As it stands, Jeudy finds himself somewhere in the WR3 range for fantasy.