Team news: Cleveland Browns | Page 12

The Browns and veteran RB Kareem Hunt have agreed to terms on a one-year deal. Hunt scored 23 TDs over the past four seasons in Cleveland. Now he’s back — and figures to have a lot of opportunities after Nick Chubb’s season-ending injury.

Related Players: Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr.

Hunt had been one of the least efficient ball carriers over the past two seasons and was no doubt a huge reason why the Browns let him walk in the first place. We are still expecting Jerome Ford to handle a vast majority of the workload, with Hunt rotating in with Strong.

Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Browns are exploring Rams running back Cam Akers and former Cleveland running back Kareem Hunt.

Related players: Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong

Just as we posted this news item, it broke the Browns are hosting Hunt for a visit. The Browns would obviously have to give up a draft pick to get Akers. As for Hunt, he spent the last four seasons with the Browns so a reunion makes sense. He has not signed with anyone since his contract expired following last season. In late August, Hunt had reportedly received offers from four teams. But the running back was waiting for “the right offer” and didn’t sign any of them, the story went on to say. The team recently said the RB1 duties will go to Ford while Strong sits behind him on the depth chart for now.

Andrew Berry and the Browns’ personnel department are looking at external options. But at least for now, Cleveland will roll with Jerome Ford as its featured running back.

Related players: Pierre Strong Jr.

Ford finished with 16 carries for 106 yards against the Steelers in Week 2. He added three catches for 25 yards and a TD so he looks to at least be a pretty solid replacement in your fantasy lineup if you can get him off the waiver wire. Strong will likely factor in as well and the team has seemed to indicate they will bring in another back.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski has confirmed that Nick Chubb suffered a significant knee injury. Due to that fact, Chubb is definitely done for the season.

The story went on to say, according to NFL.com, the running back's injury likely includes "multiple torn ligaments." As we reported on Monday night, Adam Schefter reminded us that Chubb suffered a similar injury at UGA in 2015 when he tore his MCL, PCL and LCL in a game against Tennessee. This is the first we've heard specifics about the injury from Monday night, and there is more information likely to come.

Deshaun Watson could be fined by the NFL for his contact with an official Monday night but won’t be suspended. He also could be fined for his two personal fouls.

Watson committed two personal foul face mask penalties, one of which led to a scuffle on the Steelers sideline in which Watson pushed aside a referee. According to another Maske post on X, the on-field officials and the league considered the contact inadvertent and the officials did not believe it merited a penalty.

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson got away with shoving an official during Monday night’s game.

In the third quarter, Watson was flagged for unnecessary roughness for grabbing the facemask of Pittsburgh’s Kwon Alexander and holding onto it even after both players were out of bounds on the Steelers’ sideline. After the play, Watson lingered near the sideline and exchanged words with the Steelers.

At that point umpire Barry Anderson stepped in front of Watson and tried to direct him back to the field, and Watson shoved Anderson to the side to continue jawing with Steelers players.

Related players: Dorian Thompson-Robinson

Watson was not flagged for the shove, even though the NFL rulebook says under the “Prohibited acts” section that “Under no circumstance is a player allowed to shove, push, or strike an official” and that “The player shall be disqualified from the game,” the story went on to say. The story added the missed shove seems like a blown call and the league office may hand down its own discipline. Pro Football Talk went on to say on X, "All plays will be evaluated and assessed today."

Nick Chubb has been ruled out for the remainder of the game with a knee injury.

Related players: Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr.

The injury was bad enough that ABC decided not to show a replay, but it can be found on social media. Chubb's left leg was planted while he took a hit to the knee. As Adam Schefter pointed out in a post on X, Chubb dislocated the same knee, his left, and tore his MCL, PCL, and LCL with cartilage damage on October 10, 2015 vs. Tennessee. From a fantasy standpoint, unfortunately Chubb owners are probably going to be without him for a while, as we all with for a speedy recovery. Ford and Strong are next up and the Browns will likely have to add someone as well.

Source: Browns WR Amari Cooper (groin) still was not feeling 100% ready to go this morning, but will give it a go in warmups today and go from there.

Related players: Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cedric Tillman, David Njoku

Cooper is still a game time decision, but was in pain this morning. If Cooper can't go, Moore and Peoples-Jones would likely suck up a bunch of the targets from the WR spot. The rookie Tillman could also get more involved, as could TE Njoku.

Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy (hamstring) was a full participant yesterday, putting him on track to play this Sunday.

Related Players: Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims

The Broncos passing offense once again looked more or less anemic in Week 1, and Jeudy returning should add some oomph to the pass-catching unit. While this doesn't necessarily put Russell Wilson on 1QB radars, Jeudy should be considered a strong WR3 with upside for more if he's a full-go come Sunday.

One reason Mahomes is the league’s reigning MVP is he became one of the league’s most efficient quarterbacks when attempting short and intermediate passes. In the Chiefs’ comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, none of Mahomes’ 21 completions traveled more than 20 yards past the line of scrimmage.

Of course, Reid and Mahomes can anticipate the next trend: Opposing defenses starting to zig to more conventional coverage, a mission to clog the short and intermediate passing windows for Mahomes.

Related Players: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, Rashee Rice

As the article would go on to mention, Mahomes' 8.2% deep ball rate in 2022 was a career-low. Particularly when the team returns a healthy Travis Kelce who can do so much damage in the short-to-intermediate areas of the field, the Chiefs may be pushing the ball downfield more often while defenses attempt to prevent their ultra-efficient short game.

Despite his horrendous first week of the season, Toney should expect some of that action to go his way, as his speed will often see him at the perimeter and beyond the defense. Valdes-Scantling was an incredible best ball target throughout the summer for this exact same reason. They are both difficult starts outside of deep-league Flex plays, but they will certainly pop from time to time this season.