The Cleveland Browns have always been known for their run game and the backs that have carried the rock to help the team succeed over the 80 years of football in town. While there have been a plethora of backs, there were some that became fan favorites, and here are 10 of them (11 of them really, but I had 2 backs as a tandem; can you guess who?).
- Cleo Miller
Cleo Miller played for the Browns from 1975 to 1982. He wasn’t the star back then because there were other more prominent backs back then that we’ll discuss later on the list, but he was a fan favorite. Every time I’ve written one of these articles, fans always want to know why Miller was left of the list.
He ended up with 2,492 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. He was also a reliable pass catcher out of the backfield, where he went for 140 receptions for 1,175 yards.
Photo via Imagn Images
- Peyton Hillis
His time in Cleveland was brief, only two seasons, but what Hillis did in one season was impressive enough to put him on the cover of the popular video game Madden Football the following season. Hillis was traded to the Browns in 2010 after doing nothing in two previous seasons with the Denver Broncos. With Cleveland, he made his mark in a big way. He ran, or rather ran over opponents, for 1,177 yards, scoring 11 touchdowns. He was also a reliable pass catcher, going for 477 yards on 61 receptions.
- Mike Pruitt
Pruitt’s love from Browns fans comes because of his longevity and reliability for his team. He ran for 6,540 yards as a member of the Cleveland teams from 1976 to 1984. His best seasons were between 1979 and 1983, when he had four seasons of over 1,000 yards.
- Greg Pruitt
The other famous Pruitt (no relation to Mike) was a former Oklahoma Sooner and drafted by the Browns in the second round of the 1973 NFL Draft. He ran up 5,496 yards and 25 rushing touchdowns in nine seasons with the team. His primary seasons were from 1975 to 1978, where he scampered for over 1,000 yards in three straight campaigns. He was also a good receiver coming out of the backfield.
- Kareem Hunt
After some off-the-field issues, Kareem Hunt came to Cleveland in 2019, where he became an instant fan favorite. He was paired up with Nick Chubb(who we’ll discuss soon), and the two made a great backfield tandem. Hunt was primarily used as the second back but also caught many screen passes flaring out of the backfield to help make the Browns offense very good. His best season was back in 2020, when he rumbled for 841 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 38 passes for 304 yards and five more touchdowns. His bruising plus high flying (where he’d leap his tacking opponents) will always be remembered by devoted Browns fans
The Cleveland Browns have always been known for their run game and the backs that have carried the rock to help the team succeed over the 80 years of football in town. While there have been a plethora of backs, there were some that became fan favorites, and here are 10 of them (11 of them really, but I had 2 backs as a tandem; can you guess who?).
Photo via Imagn Images
- Kevin Mack/Ernest Byner
These two Browns running backs have to be discussed together as they meant so much to their teams back in the mid-1980s. In 1985, Cleveland was starting to excel thanks to these two running backs as they both went over 1,000 yards rushing, a feat not seen by many NFL teams.
The Browns got to the playoffs in part because of this tandem’s stardom.
Mack played his entire career in Cleveland between 1985 and 1993. In 1985, he ran for 1,104 yards and seven touchdowns. In all, he racked up 5,123 yards and 46 touchdowns.
Byner ran for 1,002 yards and eight touchdowns in 1985. He played seven seasons with the Browns and finished with 3,364 yards rushing and 27 touchdowns. He also snagged 276 receptions for 2,630 yards. The duo was certainly loved by Browns fans and is often mentioned by fans when they think about the best that wore Brown and Orange.
Photo via Imagn Images
- Eric Metcalf
The Browns were known for years for their bruising style runners, so when Eric Metcalf arrived in town, fans were enamored with his elusiveness and flair for the position. He also was the Browns’ primary kick and punt returner for his six seasons as a Brown, and that added to his allure and made him an instant fan favorite.
The Texas product was drafted by the team in the first round of the 1989 NFL Draft. He collected 2,229 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. He was also used in the Cleveland pass game, where he went for 2,732 yards on 297 receptions. That multi-tiered skill set was even more exposed in the special-teams department. There, he returned kicks and punts that made him even more special.
He returned 127 punts for 1,341 yards and five touchdowns. He also returned 139 kicks for 2,806 yards and two more scores.
Every time Browns fans watched Metcalf, you expected him to take it to the house!
- Leroy Kelly
Kelly is a Browns legend. He still sits at No. 2 All-Time in rushing yards (7,274) behind only the great Jim Brown. He spent his entire career in Cleveland. He played next to Brown in his first few seasons. In 1966, Kelly began a string of powerful seasons where he tore up the football field by running for 1,141 yards (1966), 1,205 yards (1967) and 1,239 yards (1968), and 42 touchdowns.
Keep in mind that these NFL seasons were only 14 games long, and you can see how his talents were even more impressive. He also collected 190 passes for another 2,281 yards and 13 touchdowns. Having to be the guy to replace Jim Brown was probably not the easiest thing for Kelly to do, but he certainly did a good job as his initial replacement.
- Nick Chubb
Nick Chubb came along at a time in Browns history when they had lacked a primary running back like some of the previously named players on this list. Well, that all changed in 2018 when fans were instantly treated to a rising star in the NFL. In a Week 4 game against the Oakland Raiders, Chubb left his mark when he ran two carries for long touchdown runs. By Week 7, he was the Browns primary back through the 2024 season.
He scampered for a whopping 6,843 yards and 51 touchdowns in those seven seasons. The 2023 and 2024 seasons were a loss due to a knee injury, so he did most of his damage in only five seasons.
While the numbers are staggering, the real love affair with the Browns fan base was due in large part to his professionalism while a member of the team. He shyed away from the bright lights and instead worked his butt off every season. That work ethic and winning, and competitive drive made him such a fan favorite. He was the heart and soul of those teams he was a part of.
- Jim Brown
The greatest to run the ball for the Browns was Jim Brown. He played in nine seasons, all in Cleveland. He ran for 12,312 yards on 2,359 carries and scored a staggering 106 touchdowns. In his 1963 season, in only 14 games, he ran for 1,863 yards with a 6.4 yards per carry average. He was a machine, and most NFL opponents had no way of stopping him. He led his 1964 team to an NFL championship. For his career, his 104 yards per game is still the best ever in the NFL.
He was beloved by the fans and will always have a special place in the hearts of the Cleveland faithful.
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