The Cleveland Browns went into the 2015 season hoping to get more from their running backs, not just as ball-carriers but also as receivers. And though this plan got off to a slow start, it appears to be getting ever-closer to reaching fruition, based on the team's Week 4 performance.
It started when the team chose John DeFilippo to replace Kyle Shanahan at offensive coordinator. DeFilippo has never shied away from using running backs in the passing game, and the drafting of Duke Johnson in Round 3 in May seemed only to confirm what we already knew.
But Johnson's hamstring injury, which hobbled him for much of training camp, meant that he would be behind schedule when it comes to executing Cleveland's playbook to the fullest right away.