RB Kareem Hunt, CLE (1 Viewer)

[taylormeetstheismann]

I don’t know if CLE will have a clear cut starter - I smell a RBBC.

Likely going to be Ford for week 3. Beyond that could get messy for FF purposes.

To what extent does signing Hunt reduce the possibility of acquiring a higher profile RB like JTaylor or CAkers?

 

[jobarules]

He got $4m. I doubt they signed him for that much to be a backup

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

I don’t know if CLE will have a clear cut starter - I smell a RBBC.

Likely going to be Ford for week 3. Beyond that could get messy for FF purposes.

To what extent does signing Hunt reduce the possibility of acquiring a higher profile RB like JTaylor or CAkers?

Guessing it eliminates it completely. They don’t really have the money or the draft capital to spare. This was the far more obvious route for them to take.

 

[menobrown]

He got $4m. I doubt they signed him for that much to be a backup

Up to $4m.

 

[menobrown]

I think Hunt resigning is probably the best thing for Ford. The Browns have already chosen Ford over Hunt

You had me here

Would not be surprised is Hunt is the rb3 for the season.

Then you lost me, actually had to read it twice to make sure you were not saying Hunt is A RB3 and not THE Browns RB3.

 

[Sam Quentin]

Going to weigh in here:

Ford will start, but the upcoming schedule will certainly work against him and put pressure on the team to use Hunt more

I am willing to write off last season as that was a dumpster fire season for the organization.

Hunt was very productive on a per touch basis as a Brown.

I would not be surprised to see the Browns also try to re-acquire D’Ernest Johnson who looked great in relief.

Outside of his 69 yard scamper, Ford has not been that effective yet

I see the situation as very fluid at the moment…

 

[Bayhawks]

I think Ford's $870K base salary was as much of a factor in Cleveland letting Hunt walk in the off-season as any on-field performance. With them paying Chubb almost $11M this year, they likely chose the cheaper back-up. It's telling that when Chubb goes out, they signed Hunt back to a salary that could be up to more than 4X what they are paying Ford.

One of the things that we hear from FF analysts is that teams don't lie with draft picks and the checkbook. The Brown's checkbook says they do value Hunt (at least, they do now).

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

I don’t know if CLE will have a clear cut starter - I smell a RBBC.

Likely going to be Ford for week 3. Beyond that could get messy for FF purposes.

To what extent does signing Hunt reduce the possibility of acquiring a higher profile RB like JTaylor or CAkers?

Guessing it eliminates it completely. They don’t really have the money or the draft capital to spare. This was the far more obvious route for them to take.

Agreed

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

I would not be surprised to see the Browns also try to re-acquire D’Ernest Johnson who looked great in relief.

I doubt the Jags would part with him

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Outside of his 69 yard scamper, Ford has not been that effective yet

And the TD & the 2 PAT?

take away every player’s best play of the game and they wouldn’t be that effective.

But he did have a 69 yard scamper.
So…..yeah. He was effective.

 

[efactor]

Everyone was speculating that Hunt was waiting for the perfect scenario for him

i find it hard to believe he would sign back with the browns unless they told him he could start at some point, when hes football shape ready

Where would he find a better starting spot? IF he starts?

That's the thing, I don't believe he ever starts over Ford without an injury and he may or may not believe that as well. Like I said earlier, he probably is no better than what he was previously with the Browns, a number 2. I don't have Ford in any league and only have Hunt in one.

4 million. He’s a 50/50 timeshare at worst by week 4. IMO of course.

 

[efactor]

Outside of his 69 yard scamper, Ford has not been that effective yet

But he did have a 69 yard scamper.
So…..yeah. He was effective.

Not taking anything away from him BUT that long run was kind of fluky. Reversed field and nobody was home. Virtually never see that in the NFL.

 

[Scooby1974]

Outside of his 69 yard scamper, Ford has not been that effective yet

And the TD & the 2 PAT?

take away every player’s best play of the game and they wouldn’t be that effective.

But he did have a 69 yard scamper.
So…..yeah. He was effective.

I didn't see the play, but read that it was a bit of a fluky play. That said, it still counts and boosts his 2 ypc average up a bit.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Outside of his 69 yard scamper, Ford has not been that effective yet

But he did have a 69 yard scamper.
So…..yeah. He was effective.

Not taking anything away from him BUT that long run was kind of fluky. Reversed field and nobody was home. Virtually never see that in the NFL.

You’re totally taking something away from him. Cmon

On that play he also had the vision to see there was nothing where he was supposed to run, cut it back and took off. That took skill.

Someone like Pacheco woulda run into the pile and hoped for the best.

 

[Sam Quentin]

Outside of his 69 yard scamper, Ford has not been that effective yet

And the TD & the 2 PAT?

take away every player’s best play of the game and they wouldn’t be that effective.

But he did have a 69 yard scamper.
So…..yeah. He was effective.

I didn't see the play, but read that it was a bit of a fluky play. That said, it still counts and boosts his 2 ypc average up a bit.

Ypc is a flawed metric. You need to see the whole picture.

For example, If a RB got exactly 3.5 ypc every single carry he’d be the best RB in the league even though we traditionally don’t regard 3.5 as a good number.

 

[efactor]

Outside of his 69 yard scamper, Ford has not been that effective yet

But he did have a 69 yard scamper.
So…..yeah. He was effective.

Not taking anything away from him BUT that long run was kind of fluky. Reversed field and nobody was home. Virtually never see that in the NFL.

You’re totally taking something away from him. Cmon

On that play he also had the vision to see there was nothing where he was supposed to run, cut it back and took off. That took skill.

Someone like Pacheco woulda run into the pile and hoped for the best.

It was also really bad defense.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Not that I have choice, but I’m on the Hunt train. The season is still young and I think he’ll adjust easily due to the familiarity.

 

[FarFromHome]

Outside of his 69 yard scamper, Ford has not been that effective yet

And the TD & the 2 PAT?

take away every player’s best play of the game and they wouldn’t be that effective.

But he did have a 69 yard scamper.
So…..yeah. He was effective.

I didn't see the play, but read that it was a bit of a fluky play. That said, it still counts and boosts his 2 ypc average up a bit.

Ypc is a flawed metric. You need to see the whole picture.

For example, If a RB got exactly 3.5 ypc every single carry he’d be the best RB in the league even though we traditionally don’t regard 3.5 as a good number.

Or he'd be Zeke Elliott of last year. Ha ha

 

[BradtheAg]

Wound up in a weird situation where I own Ford, Hunt, and Strong in a pretty deep dynasty. I'm guessing this depth chart will drive me nuts for the rest of 2023

 

[massraider]

4 million. He’s a 50/50 timeshare at worst by week 4. IMO of course.

'Up to'.

Up to 4 million.

The Browns already had Ford and Hunt. They chose Ford.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Kansas City
2017- 1,782 yds/11 TD and 53 rec
2018- 1,202yds/14 TD and 26 rec in only 11 games, that must have been the season cut short with his off field violence

Cleveland
2019- Only played in parts of 8 games for Cleveland
2020- 1,145 yds/11TDs 198 carries and 38 rec, played in 16 games and only started 5 of them
-236 touches to get the above number, jot that down

2021- 560/5 TD...injury riddled season, only played in parts of about 8 games
2022 678/4 TD...didn't have his number called as much, Chubb had a strong season, he just didn't get as many touches and he was a little less productive at 3.8 yc

-Now combine '21 and '22 because that gives us about the same number of touches in 2020 and you get a total that looks like this...
1,238 yds/9TDs, 57 receptions and a total of 258 touches

How many touches do you expect Hunt to get the rest of the season? He tends to score TDs so if you play in a TD heavy league, he definitely is a pick up.
And one more thing, isn't this a Top 10 OL according to most media outlets and websites that publish that info?

-You're welcome

 

[efactor]

4 million. He’s a 50/50 timeshare at worst by week 4. IMO of course.

'Up to'.

Up to 4 million.

The Browns already had Ford and Hunt. They chose Ford.

And they also had Chubb then. Ford was a cheap backup compared to Hunt.

They didn’t give Hunt 4 million to carry Fords bags.

 

[jobarules]

4 million. He’s a 50/50 timeshare at worst by week 4. IMO of course.

'Up to'.

Up to 4 million.

The Browns already had Ford and Hunt. They chose Ford.

Or they thought paying Hunt a lot of money when they had a cheap option wasnt worth it. Now it is.

 

[JohnnyU]

4 million. He’s a 50/50 timeshare at worst by week 4. IMO of course.

'Up to'.

Up to 4 million.

The Browns already had Ford and Hunt. They chose Ford.

And they also had Chubb then. Ford was a cheap backup compared to Hunt.

They didn’t give Hunt 4 million to carry Fords bags.

Sure they did

 

[efactor]

4 million. He’s a 50/50 timeshare at worst by week 4. IMO of course.

'Up to'.

Up to 4 million.

The Browns already had Ford and Hunt. They chose Ford.

And they also had Chubb then. Ford was a cheap backup compared to Hunt.

They didn’t give Hunt 4 million to carry Fords bags.

Sure they did

Oh no they didn’t.

 

[Todem]

I think Hunt resigning is probably the best thing for Ford. The Browns have already chosen Ford over Hunt. Would not be surprised is Hunt is the rb3 for the season.

Good luck with that.

They will most likely work Hunt in and he will have ever chance to be the lead dog IMO.

 

[skinsrule05]

Everyone was speculating that Hunt was waiting for the perfect scenario for him

i find it hard to believe he would sign back with the browns unless they told him he could start at some point, when hes football shape ready

Where would he find a better starting spot? IF he starts?

That's the thing, I don't believe he ever starts over Ford without an injury and he may or may not believe that as well. Like I said earlier, he probably is no better than what he was previously with the Browns, a number 2. I don't have Ford in any league and only have Hunt in one.

The problem is if he is the number 2 like when he was in Cleveland before Ford won't have any value. Chubb was good with the limited work load because he was averaging 5 ypc. Ford's 2 ypc won't cut it.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Outside of his 69 yard scamper, Ford has not been that effective yet

But he did have a 69 yard scamper.
So…..yeah. He was effective.

Not taking anything away from him BUT that long run was kind of fluky. Reversed field and nobody was home. Virtually never see that in the NFL.

You’re totally taking something away from him. Cmon

On that play he also had the vision to see there was nothing where he was supposed to run, cut it back and took off. That took skill.

Someone like Pacheco woulda run into the pile and hoped for the best.

It was also really bad defense.

Still takin it away from him.

lol

These things can both be true. It was an excellent play by Ford against a poorly executed defense.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

4 million. He’s a 50/50 timeshare at worst by week 4. IMO of course.

'Up to'.

Up to 4 million.

The Browns already had Ford and Hunt. They chose Ford.

This is true and gives me hope for Ford being the lead dog.

But Hunt will likely hurt Ford’s potential as a receiver.

IMO they’ll use them both like they did Chubb + Hunt, with Ford in the Chubb role.

 

[Willie Neslon]

Hunt nothing more than a change of pace guy and an insurance policy should Ford flop or get injured. They love Ford. They let Hunt walk.

 

[efactor]

4 million. He’s a 50/50 timeshare at worst by week 4. IMO of course.

'Up to'.

Up to 4 million.

The Browns already had Ford and Hunt. They chose Ford.

This is true and gives me hope for Ford being the lead dog.

But Hunt will likely hurt Ford’s potential as a receiver.

IMO they’ll use them both like they did Chubb + Hunt, with Ford in the Chubb role.

Hunt got a lot of goal line work even with Chubb healthy. Got to think he will get most of it now with a RB not nearly as talented as Chubb in front of him (in front for the time being anyway).

 

[JohnnyU]

4 million. He’s a 50/50 timeshare at worst by week 4. IMO of course.

'Up to'.

Up to 4 million.

The Browns already had Ford and Hunt. They chose Ford.

And they also had Chubb then. Ford was a cheap backup compared to Hunt.

They didn’t give Hunt 4 million to carry Fords bags.

Sure they did

Oh no they didn’t.

Watch and learn grasshopper

 

[skinsrule05]

I think Ford's $870K base salary was as much of a factor in Cleveland letting Hunt walk in the off-season as any on-field performance. With them paying Chubb almost $11M this year, they likely chose the cheaper back-up. It's telling that when Chubb goes out, they signed Hunt back to a salary that could be up to more than 4X what they are paying Ford.

One of the things that we hear from FF analysts is that teams don't lie with draft picks and the checkbook. The Brown's checkbook says they do value Hunt (at least, they do now).

If this is true that would mean Hunt is Chubb's replacement. The lesser paid Ford is a backup to keep him healthy.

I don't think that is the case but I do think this will be a RBBC similar to Hunt/Chubb. Ford continuing to be pedestrian or Hunt not being in game shape can easily swing in one guys favor.

 

[efactor]

4 million. He’s a 50/50 timeshare at worst by week 4. IMO of course.

'Up to'.

Up to 4 million.

The Browns already had Ford and Hunt. They chose Ford.

And they also had Chubb then. Ford was a cheap backup compared to Hunt.

They didn’t give Hunt 4 million to carry Fords bags.

Sure they did

Oh no they didn’t.

Watch and learn grasshopper

In this case, the student has become the teacher

 

[JoeJoe88]

A lot of hopium for Ford here imo. Yes, they let Kareem walk. The situation was also completely different then when Chubb was healthy and obviously their lead back.

They went out and immediately brought Hunt back in. It may not be immediate, but I’d expect him to eventually take over as the lead dog.

 

[Anarchy99]

Hunt nothing more than a change of pace guy and an insurance policy should Ford flop or get injured. They love Ford. They let Hunt walk.

We don't know what we don't know. Connecting the dots, to me it sounds like Hunt wanted a bigger role and a bigger paycheck than CLE was willing to offer him. They had a workhorse in Chubb and a cheap back up in Ford. What does that translate to . . . CLE liked Ford well enough to have him as their backup. Beyond that is a big question mark . . . we don't necessarily know that they like Ford as a workhorse back. (I know after the Chubb injury they have expressed confidence in him . . . but what else can they realistically say?) IMO, Ford being on the roster over Hunt doesn't mean they liked Ford better.

Hunt waited until he found a spot where he could get more playing time and at least a better paycheck than if he went somewhere where he would be no more than a depth piece. IMO, the Browns will use both Ford and Hunt and give the guy with the hot hand the ball more in any given game. If Hunt flashes more once he gets in game shape, he may start getting a bigger workload. But I am not buying that Ford will be the main guy and Hunt was only brought in to ride the pine.

It could turn out that Hunt ends up being the primary back with Ford and Strong giving him a breather (or finding specialty roles). But I think we are a long way from that being a viable option.

 

[dmac37]

I have been a big fan of Hunt going back to his rookie year in KC. I still have him on both of my dynasty teams but was expecting a better and sooner signing than this. With that said, I'm starting to warm up to this being a decent signing for his fantasy value.

He did not look the same to me last year, this does not mean he is washed. He is still young enough with low mileage that I'm willing to believe last year "may" be an outlier vs being washed. Hunt excels at 2 aspects that reflect fantasy gold, RB receiving game and a nose for the goal line. He was putting up RB1 / RB2 numbers in Cleveland playing behind Chubb, every year but last year. Playing along side Ford compared to Chubb should equal a lot more touches, the money invested also bodes well to playing time. I'm very interested to see how he looks once he has been back for a few weeks.

 

[Young 8]

They love Ford. They let Hunt walk.

No, they loved the cheaper Ford over the more expensive Hunt as a BACKUP of Nick Chubb....which, unfortunately, is no longer there.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

I have been a big fan of Hunt going back to his rookie year in KC.

His extracurricular amateur kick-boxing career was a bit of a turnoff, but I had him in his big year in KC and he was a monster.

But he’s not that guy any more. Hasn’t been for years.

 

[Willie Neslon]

A lot of hopium for Ford here imo. Yes, they let Kareem walk. The situation was also completely different then when Chubb was healthy and obviously their lead back.

They went out and immediately brought Hunt back in. It may not be immediate, but I’d expect him to eventually take over as the lead dog.

They had to sign somebody. Hunt made the most sense as he knows the system and didn't cost a pick. He's not the same guy as he was in 2020 and before.

 

[dmac37]

If Hunt has anything at all left in the tank, he can be RB1 in Minnesota. May just be me but I don't think Mattison is the answer for this scheme.

Yeah, it's just you.

I don't think it is just me now on Mattison...

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

If Hunt has anything at all left in the tank, he can be RB1 in Minnesota. May just be me but I don't think Mattison is the answer for this scheme.

Yeah, it's just you.

I don't think it is just me now on Mattison...

It was also me this summer. lol

 

[Willie Neslon]

They love Ford. They let Hunt walk.

No, they loved the cheaper Ford over the more expensive Hunt as a BACKUP of Nick Chubb....which, unfortunately, is no longer there.

I disagree. Ford had surpassed Hunt last season. He just needed to get up to speed. The game Ford had on Monday was better than any game Hunt has had in multiple seasons.

 

[jurrassic]

I think Hunt resigning is probably the best thing for Ford. The Browns have already chosen Ford over Hunt

You had me here

Would not be surprised is Hunt is the rb3 for the season.

Then you lost me, actually had to read it twice to make sure you were not saying Hunt is A RB3 and not THE Browns RB3.

Admittedly, the RB3 is wishful thinking. In reality it will probably be closer to 65/35 in favor of Ford. Ultimately, none of us knows anything. There is no such thing as a fantasy "expert". In the NFL, it almost always pay off to bet on youth though. There have been way more first and second year guys, than street free agents signed in week 3, who have broken out. Once again, that doesn't mean it happens here, but it's about playing probabilities.

I do take into consideration that while there have been so many early season injuries to rbs, and multiple team visits by Hunt, no one had even come close to signing him. That doesn't directly speak to his "losing a step". Maybe it was money. Maybe it was playing time. It is interesting.

 

[Sam Quentin]

Outside of his 69 yard scamper, Ford has not been that effective yet

But he did have a 69 yard scamper.
So…..yeah. He was effective.

Not taking anything away from him BUT that long run was kind of fluky. Reversed field and nobody was home. Virtually never see that in the NFL.

You’re totally taking something away from him. Cmon

On that play he also had the vision to see there was nothing where he was supposed to run, cut it back and took off. That took skill.

Someone like Pacheco woulda run into the pile and hoped for the best.

It was also really bad defense.

Still takin it away from him.

lol

These things can both be true. It was an excellent play by Ford against a poorly executed defense.

Took nothing away

I looked at the distribution and analyzed if that distribution is an effective way to move the sticks.

Congrats on the 69 yarder. Is it sustainable? Can he move the sticks…

 

[Anarchy99]

Curious what the gallery thinks the shark move is for those that have Hunt. Trade him now when his perceived value might be high? Hold on to him to see how they use him (so maybe he becomes a weak RB2 or a flex play / bye week filler? But if he doesn't play much or looks washed, then his trade value (redraft) would be minimal. As a for instance, if you were offered Fields for Purdy and Hunt, would you do it?

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Congrats on the 69 yarder. Is it sustainable? Can he move the sticks…

He punched in a TD pretty well.

Is it sustainable? I guess we’ll have to see if he does it again.

 

[menobrown]

He's been so under the radar on social media and in general that even with this being the 4th team he's visited I've not so much seen an image or video of him since last off-season. Until now. To the naked eye he looks in shape at least: https://twitter.com/Bottlegate/status/1704234187643908561

Just read tweet from Jordan Schultz that he's 10 pounds lighter then he was last season.

 

[JohnnyU]

Curious what the gallery thinks the shark move is for those that have Hunt. Trade him now when his perceived value might be high? Hold on to him to see how they use him (so maybe he becomes a weak RB2 or a flex play / bye week filler? But if he doesn't play much or looks washed, then his trade value (redraft) would be minimal. As a for instance, if you were offered Fields for Purdy and Hunt, would you do it?

I'd sell so fast it would make my head swim.

 

[RenegadeRoy]

Trade him now when his perceived value might be high?

This would be my move. I don't think a majority of people watched Browns games last year but Hunt looked beyond cooked. Now he's had an offseason of doing ??? and was passed on by many teams. Sell high on the name.