Will Jerome Ford Have An Expanded Role In the Browns Offense? Fantasy Football Outlook

Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford didn't get many touches in his 2022 rookie season behind Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, but with Hunt out of town, he could be the team's RB2 in 2023.

Hunt has had plenty of value in recent seasons despite not being the "starting" running back, so Ford could have standalone value behind Chubb for 2023 fantasy football.

Let's take a look at Ford's college profile and his potential for an expanded role in the Browns' backfield next season.

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Jerome Ford College Profile

Ford was a highly touted recruit out of high school and landed at Alabama, where he played his freshman and sophomore seasons. He totaled just 162 yards in two years playing behind Damien Harris, Josh Jacobs, Najee Harris, and Brian Robinson Jr., so he decided to hit the transfer portal after his 2019 campaign.

In 10 games for Cincinnati in 2020, Ford rushed 73 times for 483 yards (6.6 YPC) and eight touchdowns, adding eight receptions for 61 yards. In 2021, it was finally time for him to be the featured back in an offense.

For the College Football Playoff-bound Bearcats, Ford posted 1,319 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns on 215 carries and caught 21 passes for 220 yards and a score. He cemented himself as one of the best running backs in college football and showed off receiving upside – all in time for the 2022 NFL Draft.

Ford would be taken in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft – ensuring he'd likely be used sparingly in his rookie season. He finished with eight carries for 12 yards in 2022.

Will Jerome Ford Have An Expanded Role In Cleveland's Backfield?

Ford is fully expected to take on the No. 2 role this upcoming season. The departure of Hunt and D'Ernest Johnson has left an opportunity open for Ford and it appears the Browns are ready to see what they have in the 23-year-old RB. Chubb should see a majority of the workload, but Ford should at the very least be his primary handcuff in the case of an injury.

Chubb has a limited pass-catching ceiling and has only hauled in an average of 23.8 passes per season, so it'll be interesting to see if Ford can carve out a pass-catching role out of the backfield, yielding deep league flex value.

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