The Cleveland Browns are talking playoffs - and some are even talking Super Bowl...during the offseason general manager Phil Savage brought in wide receiver Donte Stallworth and defensive lineman Shaun Rogers...they drafted another inside linebacker in Beau Bell...and if Derek Anderson should go down or becomes a bust, Brady Quinn is waiting in the wings...but Savage has neglected one position - running back...Sure Jamal Lewis was a pleasant surprise last season as he was the best running back the team has had since returning in 1999...however, Lewis will turn 29-years-old on August 26th and has been plagued by foot and leg injuries over the course of his career...so who is the back-up should Lewis go down?...
That is one area that Savage has not covered - a back-up to Lewis...currently Jason Wright and Jerome Harrison are listed on the depth chart...and who knows, maybe one of them could be a steady running back...but the fact remains that both are unproven commodities for a team that feels they can go deep in the playoffs...
Cleveland errored by not acquiring free agent running back Lamont Jordan who was recently released by Oakland...the New England Patriots wasted no time in scooping up Jordan to provide more depth at the running back position behind Laurence Maroney...
There is one free agent back left - Shaun Alexander...Alexander's best days are over - even though he won the league MVP in 2005...injuries have taken a toll on him...but he would be an excellent back-up should Lewis get hurt...as of today, there are not a lot of teams pushing for Alexander's services either...supposedly the Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, and Denver Broncos are taking a look at him...
Alexander needs to realize that he is at the end of his career and his big money making days are over...a marriage between Alexander and the Browns make the best sense...and it provides a security blanket for the one position the Browns could least afford an injury...
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