Both Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty were in uniform Wednesday as the Browns returned to the practice field, prompting coach Pat Shurmur to comment on their status going forward.
“What happened on Sunday, we learned that Montario is further along than I thought he was and can handle more than I thought he could,” Shurmur said. “Unfortunately, Peyton couldn’t go, but I do know that Peyton can carry a big load.
“Now, Peyton is our (primary) back, but we learned a lot about Montario that we all should feel pretty good about.”
We believe that Hillis will return to his role as the Browns' RB1, but Hardesty will likely eat into his touches a bit more than he has thus far this season.