Q - Who will get the bulk of the carries this year, Hardesty or Harrison or will they split?

A - Training camp will go a long way to determining that. Both players will get carries regardless of who wins the job. Jerome Harrison may have the job early, but I wouldn't be surprised if Montario Hardesty is the starter this year at some point.

If Harrison continues the level of play he finished with in 2009, Hardesty's play may be limited. A training camp battle is likely but barring injury, I agree with the above assessment.

The Browns have agreed to terms on a four-year deal for second-round running back Montario Hardesty, a league source told the Plain Dealer.

Hardesty, who worked primarily with the first-team offense in OTAs and minicamp, started 19 of his 49 games at Tennessee. In his final season, he rushed for 1,345 yards and 13 touchdowns.

The Browns felt so strongly about Hardesty's ability that they traded a third-rounder and two fifths to move up to draft him.

Montario Hardesty will challenge Jerome Harrison for the starting gig, but both backs have talent and will be used in some type of timeshare, as is the norm in the NFL these days. Everyone out of Browns camp has been extremely positive on Hardesty since draft day. Look for him to gain more fantasy value as the season goes on.

Cleveland Plain Dealer beat writer Tony Grossi speculated that if rookie running back Montario Hardesty is healthy going into the season, that he would expect the running backs on the roster to be Hardesty, Jerome Harrison, and either James Davis or Chris Jennings. The fullbacks would be Lawrence Vickers and Peyton Hillis, acquired from Denver in the Brady Quinn trade.

Hardesty by all accounts is currently healthy and ready to go. He's made a nice impression in Cleveland so far and at this point projects to be the best fantasy player in Cleveland's backfield. While the Browns will likely be weak on offense and have to deal with Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati twice, they'll also draw the Bills, Buccaneers, Chiefs, and Jaguars. So there will be some weeks that a Browns running back could be potentially valuable as a spot starter. The winner of the Davis/Jennings battle could be useful should something happen to Hardesty or Harrison.

The Canton Repository reports that Browns rookie running back Montario Hardesty seems quick in his cuts and has caught the ball well, but most importantly, Cleveland head coach Eric Mangini raves about his attentiveness. The paper also reported that in one post-practice mind game, Hardesty was asked to recite names of defensive players he is practicing against.

“He blew through it like he’s known them all their lives,” Mangini said.

This isn't the first time Mangini has praised Hardesty since the Browns drafted him. While Hardesty is currently at 47 in our rankings, he has been on the upswing while Jerome Harrison has been sliding. Harrison, at 39, isn't that far ahead of Hardesty on our board. Right now, Harrison is a strong candidate to be drafted higher than he should be based on his strong run at the end of the 2009 season, while Hardesty could outperform his draft position. As our ratings indicate, Harrison is still the best Cleveland back to have on your team, but he's not worth reaching for in a draft. Hardesty, on the other hand, could turn out to be a bargain.

Browns running backs Jerome Harrison and Montario Hardesty got work with the first-team offense. This could be a good competition to watch in training camp, because both runners have very different styles they bring to the offense. Cleveland's coaching staff has been really impressed with Hardesty this offseason.

Whether or not there's a reason Jerome Harrison dodged the media after Thursday's Browns OTA practice, it's fair to wonder if there's a reason Harrison changed course last week, signed an injury waiver and returned to work.

The starting job he waited so long to get very well could be at stake.

In late April, the Browns moved up in the draft to select Montario Hardesty. When the team took to the field for practice sessions in late May, James Davis -- whose promising rookie season was cut short by injury last year -- was also back in the mix.

Hardesty was getting the bulk of the reps with the first-team offense in Thursday's practice, the only one this week open to the media. And the head coach who's consistently praised Hardesty since rookie minicamp did so again Thursday.

This is a situation that should figure itself out by the time your draft rolls around. Harrison or Hardesty could be a nice RB2 or flex player this year, assuming one is eventually named the starter.

Browns running back Jerome Harrison, who rushed for 561 yards in the final three games of last season, has been participating in organized team activities this week despite not signing his one-year tender yet.

The article mentions Harrison as a part of a "good one-two punch" with rookie second round pick Montario Hardesty, so it looks like another committee situation here. Still, with the way Harrison ended 2009, he may get more carries early on in the season. He could still have RB3 or flex value the way things look now.

Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository reports new Browns starting quarterback Jake Delhomme has been around. Take a look around as spring practice gets rolling. His primary running backs and wide receivers figure to be Jerome Harrison, Monterio Hardesty, Peyton Hillis, Mohamed Massaquoi, Brian Robiskie and Josh Cribbs — average age, 24.

The main point here is that Dehlhomme will be Browns' starter barring anything short of disaster. Delhomme's play since his five-interception game in the playoffs two years ago has been exactly that -- disastrous. As soon as the preseason games begin, Seneca Wallace's chances of winning the job will increase with each week that goes by.

Cleveland head coach Eric Mangini praised rookie running back Monterio Hardesty for his efforts during spring practice. Mangini asked questions of his rookies in meetings, and singled out Hardesty for his awareness.

“Some guys couldn’t get the answers,” Mangini said. “He knew the answer. And it was on a range of different things. You could tell he was constantly paying attention, constantly taking notes.”

Although media members in attendance didn't think Hardesty was as big as they thought he would be, Mangini said Hardesty was "pretty well slapped together" and "some guys run big."

While Hardesty won't be hyped like fellow rookies Ryan Matthews and Jahvid Best, he's someone fantasy owners might want to keep in mind for a late-round pick. He's certainly more of a short yardage threat than Jerome Harrison and Cleveland's passing game projects to be shaky, so they'll have to win games on the ground. Harrison has had injury issues in the past, so it's not out of the question Hardesty could become Cleveland's lead back at some point.

Jerome Harrison waited four years for his chance to be a feature back. When he got it, he rushed for 561 yards in three games.

But now, he has to wonder what his role will be in relation to Montario Hardesty. The Browns didn’t trade into the second round and give up two draft picks for Hardesty to sit.

One guess: The team might try a 50-50 split with the carries and then adjust depending on who produces.

Eric Mangini says Hardesty “tends to punish defenders at the end of runs,” which is not the smaller Harrison’s calling card.

For now, Mangini is playing the diplomacy card. “I like big backs. I like little, fast backs, too.”