The long-anticipated Browns debut of Robert Turbin came Sunday against the Broncos. He performed admirably, carrying the ball 10 times for 27 yards against a tough Denver defense.
So, now what?
Turbin had 10 carries, Duke Johnson Jr. had nine and Isaiah Crowell led the way with 11. That’s good for an average of 10 apiece.
Is that what Browns fans should expect Sunday against the Rams and moving forward into the second half of the season? Not exactly.
“People look at that (competition) as a problem, but we see it as a good problem to have,” Browns coach Mike Pettine said. “I don’t think we’re going to go into a game and say, ‘Hey, we want to get X number of touches to each of these guys.’ Some of that will be a function of what the defense is giving us, how they want to play us, and then at the same time, Flip (offensive coordinator John DeFilippo) will have it coordinated where certain plays will be for certain backs, and he’ll have those personnel groupings tagged accordingly.”
The story said some of the Browns’ best rushing performances last season came when three different players received five or more carries. That wasn’t much of an option this year until Turbin returned, as Shaun Draughn, who was released this week, was primarily used on special teams. This is likely a fantasy situation to avoid, perhaps other than Duke Johnson in PPR leagues, who should continue to be a big threat in the passing game.
Broncos news
