Ben Tate

In Week 6, Terrance West was inactive for a critical game against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns won handily, but without West’s help.

Three weeks later, regular starter Ben Tate was held to just three yards on 10 carries. Isaiah Crowell didn’t receive an offensive snap. Instead, it was West who played the role of feature back, carrying the ball a team-high 15 times for 48 yards.

“When you looked at the tape and really compared the three, we feel he’s really coming on,” Browns coach Mike Pettine said. “He’s earned those touches, and when he gets out there he does make the most of them.”

As the story pointed out, the yardage total may not have been pretty, but West came up big on two crucial plays in the opening drive of the second half to help set the tone: First, West powered for two yards to convert a 4th-and-1 from Tampa Bay’s 4-yard line after a neutral zone infraction by Tampa Bay before a field-goal attempt. Two plays later, West scored the Browns’ first touchdown of the game on a 2-yard reception, giving the Browns a 16-10 lead. The story also pointed to a key block to allow QB Brian Hoyer time to throw a TD pass, something that it critical in a young back's chances of staying on the field. West should be in line for more touches based on the comments and performance, but for how long is anyone's guess. If he's on your wire, he's certainly worth picking up.