The Cleveland Browns are slowly turning the page to a new chapter at running back this season, and that might make veteran Jerome Ford expendable.
The Browns drafted not one, but two running backs in the 2025 NFL draft, taking Quinshon Judkins in the second round and Dylan Sampson in the fourth.
Over the first two games, Ford has fallen behind both in touches. Sampson had a much bigger workload in Week 1, and while Ford saw more touches in Week 2, he still played behind Judkins, who made his NFL debut.
Knowing that, Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox thinks Ford is a trade candidate, and he has the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs as two potential suitors.
With Ford set to be a free agent in 2026, the Browns may take what they can get for him now. That may not be a lot, but Ford has breakaway speed and has topped 500 rushing yards in each of the past two seasons.
Potential Suitors: Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs
Trading Ford would make sense, seeing as how he may not have much of a role in 2025, and with him set to be a free agent in 2026.
The only reason to hold on to Ford is the concern that Judkins could face a suspension stemming from his offseason legal issue.
The Chiefs and Cowboys are both in a good enough spot at running back that they don't really need to make a trade for Ford.
Javonte Williams has been better than expected in Dallas, and the Cowboys have a decent backup in Miles Sanders. Meanwhile, in Kansas City, the Chiefs have a solid one-two punch in Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt.
We would see things differently if Ford amounted to a major upgrade, but he would be a minimal one, at best, for both teams. It will likely take an injury for the Chiefs or Cowboys to spring for the former fifth-round pick.
That said, with Knox projecting Ford to only garner a conditional seventh-round pick in a trade with the Browns, there isn't really anything to lose in adding him.
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