By Kris Knox
Senior Writer
Fans of the Cleveland Browns received a bit of encouraging news on Monday, when head coach Pat Shurmur confirmed that rookie running back Trent Richardson is still on schedule to be ready for the team’s regular season opener against the Eagles on Sept. 9.
“Trent’s getting better every day, so his progress has been outstanding,” Shurmur told reporters. “He’s about where we thought he’d be, probably a little bit ahead. So he’ll be out here soon.”
Richardson, the third overall pick in April’s draft, is widely expected to be the centerpiece of Cleveland’s young offense this season. However, the team—and fans—received a bit of a scare earlier this month when Richardson, who underwent minor knee surgery back in February, flew to Florida to undergo yet another procedure.
So far, Richardson appears to be recovering without any setbacks, which is terrific news for fans anxious to see their team’s draft prize finally make an on-field appearance.
However, while fans would love to see Richardson hit the field as quickly as possible, it would be wise for the Browns organization to tread carefully when working him into the offense.
Rushing any player who has had two knee procedures in six month’s time back into action is a risky enough proposition. For a workhorse running back expected to shoulder the offense for the foreseeable future, it just doesn’t make much sense.
The safe move would be for Cleveland to ease Richardson into the offense during the first couple of weeks of the regular season, perhaps get him a handful of touches in each game, and gauge his progression while allowing someone else to handle the bulk of the carries.
2010 second-round pick Montario Hardesty finally appears recovered from the ACL tear that sidelined him as a rookie and limited him in 2011. He has been solid, if unspectacular, thus far in the preseason, rushing for 61 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
Brandon Jackson, the team’s projected third-down back, has not been as impressive, rushing for just 53 yards and a score on 20 carries. However, he has shown the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, hauling in three passes for 19 yards.
Meanwhile, Chris Ogbonnaya has flashed some ability, gaining 27 yards on eight carries, while undrafted rookie Adonis Thomas has registered 71 yards on 21 total touches out of the backfield.
Both Ogbonnaya and Thomas are considered darkhorse candidates to make the regular season roster, but one of the two could sneak by the final round of cuts with Richardson’s preservation being a primary goal.
While none of the team’s backs, outside of Richardson, appear to possess true game-breaking ability, a combination of Hardesty, Jackson and either Ogbonnaya or Thomas should be enough to keep Cleveland’s ground game rolling until Richardson gets his game legs back.
Expect to see Richardson make his NFL debut in Week 1, just don’t expect to see him get 20-plus carries right away. He is likely to see that kind of workload soon enough as it is, and keeping Richardson healthy for the long-term should be the team’s top priority.
While it may not be music to the ears of most Cleveland fans—or fantasy football fans, for that matter—limiting Richardson early in the season is the right move for the Browns.
Gambling on the organization’s future simply isn’t worth the risk.
Follow Kris on Twitter: @Kris_Knox
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