Cleveland has a very crowded running back room
The Cleveland Browns have gone from very few running backs to a stable full.
RELATED: NICK CHUBB: READY TO GO AGAIN OR DONE IN CLEVELAND?
On Friday, the room just may have gotten lighter when Jerome Ford agreed to a significant pay reduction. With the Browns drafting two rookie running backs in the April NFL draft, this one move might signify that the franchise will not re-sign fan favorite Nick Chubb for the 2025 season.
Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com posted that Ford had agreed to have his salary slashed from $3.4 million in 2025 to $1.75 million. Ford is expected to compete for the starting role with second-round draft pick Quinshon Judkins of Ohio State.
RB Nick Chubb will likely have to find a new home now that #Browns RB Jerome Ford accepted a significant paycut Friday in the wake of the 2 new rookie RBs:–>
https://t.co/OnqGvJ2pma— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) May 2, 2025
The team did something similar with TE Harrison Bryant in 2023.
Ford is in his final year of his contract after being taken in Round 5 of the 2022 NFL draft out of the University of Cincinnati. The plan was to use him as a complementary back, but when Chubb went down with a serious knee injury early in the 2023 season, it was Ford who was elevated as the bellcow back. He responded with 204 carries for 813 yards, four TDs, a 4.0 average yards per carry, 33 first down conversions, and had 44 receptions for 319 yards and an additional five scores.
After Chubb’s comeback last year, Ford was relegated to the backup role. Then Chubb broke his foot towards the end of the year and was out for the remainder of the season and Ford stepped up once again. In total, Ford had six starts but played in 14 games, had 104 carries for 565 yards and three touchdowns, 25 first down conversions, a 5.4 yards per carry average, along with 37 catches for 225 yards.
Browns GM Andrew Berry then drafted Judkins, plus Dylan Sampson in Round 4, who was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year.
Obviously, many fans are unhappy with the result:
Another reminder why I cancelled my @Browns season tickets. You had ONE JOB BROWNS! And that was to take care of Nick Chubb and have him retire as a Brown. You FAILED! But that’s nothing you’re not used to.
— DeBo (@BigDeebs5) May 2, 2025
Selecting the two rookies, plus Ford’s pay cut, is a strong message to Chubb. There had been some speculation that Cleveland would trade Ford and then re-sign Chubb. There is a chance, however small, that Ford’s smaller deal could make him more tradeable, but guaranteeing money does not normally lead to a trade.
Other running backs on the roster include Pierre Strong, Jr., undrafted rookie free agent Ahmani Marshall of Appalachian State, and former Houston Texans fullback Troy Hairston.
It has been mentioned in the press that Chubb is already in negotiations with the Chicago Bears, but still remains unsigned. Browns fans were hoping that Chubb would remain in Cleveland even if for just one more season. But with Ford’s contract slash instead of being traded, that pretty much states the franchise is going forward without him.
Basically, Cleveland is keeping a healthy Ford and allowing the unknown injury concerns with Chubb to find a new home, most likely.