Cleveland Browns 2024 training camp position group preview: Running backs

BEREA — Training camp is fast approaching for the Browns.

Rookies are scheduled to report on July 22, with the veterans coming in the next day. The Browns will then head to the Greenbrier in West Virginia on July 25 for the first of seven practices over nine days there before returning to Berea for the remainder of camp.

Leading up to the start of camp, each Browns position group is getting its moment in the spotlight. Today, the running backs take center stage.

For the previous position group previews, look here:

• Quarterbacks

Here's a look at the Browns running backs heading into training camp.

On the Cleveland Browns roster: Running backs

Nick Chubb, Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr., Nyheim Hines, D'Onta Foreman, John Kelly Jr., Aidan Robbins, Giovanni Ricci (fullback)

Projected starter: Nick Chubb or Jerome Ford

This isn't about some impending training camp battle. This is all about when Chubb, the Browns' fourth-leading rusher all-time, can actually make it back onto the playing field after the season-ending knee injury he sustained last Sept. 18 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. While coach Kevin Stefanski will no doubt have Chubb on a pitch count of sorts whenever he does return, he would still be the starter. Until that moment, though, Ford appears to be option No. 1 to hold down that role for the second consecutive year. The third-year pro is a two-way threat both running and catching the ball, which makes him a valuable asset when Chubb's fully cleared to go.

One to watch: Nyheim Hines

Hines, who was signed during free agency after missing all of last season because of an ACL tear in a jet ski accident, has been unfairly pigeon-holed by some as mostly a return specialist. Although he'll definitely be a factor there, his offensive chops can't be glossed over. New offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey worked with Hines with the Buffalo Bills in 2022 after they acquired him from the Indianapolis Colts, so he knows what he's capable of doing both in the run game as well as the passing game. What the Browns seemed to envision as a role for wide receiver Elijah Moore last offseason could actually be a role at which Hines excels at this season.

Potential training camp battle: Pierre Strong Jr. and D'Onta Foreman

This really is a trickle-down effect of the uncertainty around Chubb and when he'll truly be available to play. If Chubb has to start on injured reserve, then this may become a moot point. If he doesn't, then it does seem hard to fathom the Browns keeping five running backs on the active roster. Foreman, signed as a free agent, has had moments since coming into the league in 2017, including a 900-yard rushing season with the Carolina Panthers in 2022. Strong, who was acquired last August in a trade with the New England Patriots, was one of the Browns' best special teams performers last season. That, along with being the younger player, might be the deciding factor.

Impact of injuries entering training camp

Chubb had two surgeries last fall to repair the damage done to his left knee when Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick hit it while trying to make a tackle in Week 2 last season. The first, which was done Sept. 29, repaired damage to the medial collateral ligament (MCL), the medial capsule and meniscus. The ACL was ruptured as well, and Chubb had that surgically repaired on Nov. 14. He did not participate in on-field activities during OTAs or minicamp. No one, though, has totally ruled out that Chubb could be ready to go by the start of the regular season. No one has said he'll be ready, though, either.

Hines did not take part in any of the on-field work during either OTAs or minicamp as he continues to come back from the jet ski accident that cost him last season. During an availability in OTAs, he did indicate that the goal was for him to be back for camp. Even if that's the case, one would fully expect a limitation of sorts on what he'll do, at least early.

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ