The youngest position group on the Browns' roster is also the most stable entering free agency.
With Friday's signing of Shaun Draughn, the Browns don't have any potential departures from the running back crew that wrapped up the 2014 season at Baltimore.
Both Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell are preparing for their second NFL seasons after providing a formidable rookie combination in 2014. Though Draughn and Winston didn't receive any touches with the Browns last season, they're viewed as potential valuable contributors in new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo's scheme.
"I'm real excited to watch those guys go through OTAs and training camp and the minicamps and getting those reps and seeing those guys flourish," DeFilippo said of West and Crowell, who combined for 1,280 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. "I want to see what those guys can do from a receiving standpoint, getting those guys outside and seeing if they can catch the ball, run a slant, run a hitch, run a go, run a comeback. I want to see if those guys can do those things because that's going to be a big part of the offense that I want to incorporate here."
Outside of Cleveland, the running back market has been active over the past few days. The Eagles traded LeSean McCoy to the Bills and the Saints pulled Mark Ingram off it when they re-signed him to a new deal. The 2014 NFL leading rusher, though, remains up for grabs.
Here's a complete look at the landscape.
Who's coming back? (2014 stats)
Terrance West - 171 carries, 673 yards (3.9 ypc), 4 TDs; 11 rec., 64 yards, TD
Isaiah Crowell - 148 carries, 607 yards (4.1 ypc), 8 TDs; 9 rec., 87 yards
Glenn Winston - 5 games
Shaun Draughn - 10 games (four with Browns)
Who's on the market?
N/A
Rankings of note
Rushing offense - 108 yards per game - 17th
Yards per carry - 3.6 - T-28th
Rushing touchdowns - 17 - 4th
Fumbles - 7 - T-13th
Top RBs available (Rankings from NFL.com’s Top 101 NFL Free Agents for 2015)
- DeMarco Murray (Dallas)
- Ryan Mathews (San Diego)
- C.J. Spiller (Buffalo)
- Frank Gore (San Francisco)
- Shane Vereen (New England)
- Justin Forsett (Baltimore)
- Reggie Bush (Detroit)
- Stevan Ridley (New England)
- Roy Helu (Washington)
- Ahmad Bradshaw (Indianapolis)
- Pierre Thomas (New Orleans)
- Knowshon Moreno (Miami)
DeMarco Murray
Ryan Mathews
C.J. Spiller
Frank Gore
Shane Vereen
Justin Forsett
Reggie Bush
Stevan Ridley
Pierre Thomas
Knowshon Moreno
