Jerome Ford isn’t the star cow the Cleveland Browns were hoping for after Nick Chubb’s injury.
With Nick Chubb’s injury in Week 2, all talk of a revamped Cleveland Browns offense disappeared.
Jerome Ford was the next man in the backfield and was the only constant throughout the constant rotation of quarterbacks.
The second-year pro is expected to become the team’s new Kareem Hunt from 1B to 1A for Chubb.
But that didn’t happen and it’s time for the team to admit that the Ford experiment isn’t making any progress. Jerome Ford is ineffective
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Ford has a running efficiency of 4.74, fourth-worst in the NFL. Among running backs at the top of their respective depth charts, Ford is second behind Houston’s Dameon Pierce.
What’s even more concerning is the amount of time Jerome Ford spends behind the line of scrimmage.
At 3.15 seconds, Ford spends more time behind the line than any other player in the NFL. This is a significant problem for a team with a broken offensive line.
Starting right tackle Jack Conklin was sidelined in the first week of the season and his counterpart, Jed Wills, will miss at least the next four games after injuring his knee against the Arizona Cardinals.
This translates onto the field: Jérôme Ford cannot make good decisions quickly.
For example, on the Cleveland Browns’ first play from scrimmage against the Cardinals, Ford brought the ball down the right side of the line for a respectable six-yard gain.
However, a single cut to the left would have given Ford a nearly open field, which could have allowed for a much larger gain.
Too often, Ford’s first downs leave the Cleveland Browns running second, putting unnecessary pressure on the passing game. Other Cleveland Browns argue in comparison
The Cleveland Browns were so excited about Jerome Ford that they decided not to re-sign Kareem Hunt.
They also decided not to prosecute other veteran advocates.
The Browns’ front office had decided that Hunt had lost a step and that he wasn’t exactly the fastest guy to start with.
Hunt’s 40-yard dash was 4.62 in the 2017 draft. By comparison, Ford’s was 4.46 last year. But the Browns front office has had trouble equating practice production with play production.
This led them to keep Cade York well beyond the edge of reason, and those same valuation blinders ended up on the Hunt/Ford issue.
Although Hunt didn’t resign until Week 3, he has five rushing touchdowns to Ford’s two. Hunt’s time from scrimmage is 2.65, half a second slower than Ford’s.
Pierre Strong hasn’t had many opportunities in the backfield and doesn’t qualify for NextGen stat treatment. But with his 34 carries, his yards per carry are half a yard more than Jerome Ford’s, and he’s only one point behind the starter.
Jerome Ford is not an RB1
Jerome Ford should never have taken this position so soon. But the Cleveland Browns failed to evaluate him properly and now find themselves stuck in a bad situation.
The team has a historically good defense. They also have a franchise quarterback who is finally shaking off the rust and getting back to his old self.
Cleveland is ready to win now.
If the Browns really want to make a run at the Super Bowl, they’re going to have to start making things happen in the backfield.
Hunt has found his role in the new offense. It’s time for Jerome Ford to get back to being the actor he was meant to be. Because he’s not the centerpiece the Cleveland Browns were hoping for. Main photo credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
