The Cleveland Browns took a major call and decided not to bring back Kareem Hunt for the coming season. The 2023 NFL Draft is done and dusted, and Hunt still remains unsigned. While he proved to be an excellent backup for Nick Chubb for four years, the Browns decided to let him go because his production declined in several categories.
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Kareem Hunt is coming off of career lows in yards per carry, yards per catch, yards per target, yards per route run, yards after contact per attempt, broken tackle rate, and PFF run grade.
They tried trading him and couldn’t find a suitor.
He’s unlikely to bounce back anywhere. https://t.co/xSfa9396RO
— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) April 9, 2023
It was recently reported that Cleveland tried to trade Hunt but received no response from other teams. That is a major problem because, generally, the shelf life of a running back is short in a league, and to add insult to injury, there aren’t many teams who are showing interest in roping him in. Having said that, there a couple of franchises who might benefit a lot by adding Hunt to their roster ahead of the 2023 season.
Possible landing spots for Kareem Hunt
The first team that may be looking for a running back is the Dallas Cowboys. It was highly speculated that the Cowboys would draft either Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs, but they weren’t able to get either one of them. Ultimately, they drafted Deuce Vaughn, who was deemed undersized. Because he is considered undersized (though a three-down player at Kansas, he stands at 5’5″ and weighs only 179 pounds), many think that he won’t be able to take over Ezekiel Elliott’s workload. This is where Pro Bowler Hunt comes into the picture.
Another team that has shown interest in Hunt is the Denver Broncos. They might look towards bringing in another RB because Javonte Williams may miss some time while recovering from a torn ACL. Apart from Williams, the RBs that are already on the roster have never handled a regular NFL starting role.
Kareem Hunt on the Chiefs was a video game @betthepigskin pic.twitter.com/CZ6a6pBYbu
— Barstool Sportsbook (@BSSportsbook) August 7, 2022
During his four seasons with Cleveland, Hunt played in 49 games as a backup running back to Nick Chubb. He recorded 1,874 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, as well as 132 receptions for 973 yards and seven touchdowns.
Teams that aren’t interested in Hunt
The Philadelphia Eagles were one of the teams that had expressed interest in acquiring Hunt. But as per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Eagles signed D’Andre Swift from the Detroit Lions which means that they have no reason to go after Hunt.
Another team that was in need of a Running Back was the Miami Dolphins. However, they ultimately decided to focus on the draft and picked Devon Achane from Texas A&M in the third round instead. This means that now even they seem to be out of the Hunt-acquiring race.
