The Cleveland Browns opted to trade away first-round pick Trent Richardson a quarter of the way through the 2013 season. They replaced him with veteran Willis McGahee and the run game never picked up. With plenty of uncertainty surrounding who will be the next starting quarterback for the Browns, the team is searching for a star running back to rely on.
ESPN's Adam Scefter reports that Ben Tate is the first player up to Cleveland in the second day of free agency. Tate has been linked to Cleveland for some time now. The Browns were expected to make a trade following the departure of Richardson. Tate was considered the top target. However, the team opted to hold off on any moves and is now pursuing the running back in free agency.
Tate spent the past few seasons playing backup to Arian Foster in Houston. Last season he began to really displaying starting talent. He and Foster actually competed for the starting spot on the Texans last year, but the veteran won out. He was able to get some starts in for the injured Foster before landing in injured reserve for broken ribs. He finished the season with 771 yards in 14 games. The Browns would certainly welcome those numbers in the back field.
Another option for Cleveland could be Maurice Jones-Drew. The running back was actually thought to be returning to Jacksonville despite the team saying he could test the market. However, the Jaguars signed former Minnesota Vikings backup Toby Gerhart to a contract on Tuesday, ending any chance of Jones-Drew staying with the team.
Jones-Drew is actually being pursued by a few teams in free agency despite having several down seasons and injuries on his resume. According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, the Jets have serious interest in the veteran. The team has Chris Ivory, Bilal Powell and Mike Goodson on the roster already, but would likely release one player to make room for Jones-Drew.
The veteran is not much of an upgrade from McGahee. He only managed 3.4 yards per carry last season which is not much better than even Richardson. However, Jones-Drew proved he is still a force to tackle, keeping his stock high. The Browns need offensive help and will take it however they can get it.