Kevin Stefanski made it clear when he was hired as head coach of the Cleveland Browns that he wanted to be a racing team. Stefanski’s system is set up in such a way that a running game and a passing game can look almost identical in order to keep defenses out of balance.

It is useful for this shot if you have a good running back that the defenses need to account for. While game passes can be beneficial even if the running game is not successful, it helps the offense when both click and both are threats to control the game.

The Browns’ hasty attack is very clearly a threat with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Last year, Chubb was seventh in the league for the ground run despite the fewest attempts to rush the fullbacks into the top ten. Chubb missed four games with injury, giving his replacement time to shine.

Hunt came in 16th in the league and actually had more carries than Chubb, par 8. Hunt also caught 38 passes for over 300 yards while Chubb had 16 for 150.

Putting it all together Focus on professional football named the Browns running back unit as the best in the NFL:

It’s no exaggeration to say that Cleveland has two top 10 runners on its roster, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, two of the league’s most elusive runners. Hunt is tied for second in forced missed tackles per run attempt (0.23) among all running backs with at least 250 carries since 2017. The only running back qualified with a higher rate during the same period is Chubb (0.25). It’s a luxury to have two elite options like the one available in the event of an injury. This was exposed in 2020 while Chubb was on the sidelines.

With Chubb and Hunt at the top, it’s easy not to mention the other running backs, but D’Ernest Johnson and Demetric Felton could turn out to be interesting players for the Browns as well.

Johnson is a kick returner who has had a few important reaches in 2020 while Felton, drafted at the end of the NFL Draft in 2021, is very versatile both as a fullback and as a receiver.

Kevin Stefanski wants to throw the ball and has Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to help his offense do it. The NFL’s best running back unit makes it easier on the passing game for Baker Mayfield.