BEREA, OHIO - JUNE 04: Jerome Ford #34 of the Cleveland Browns runs a drill during Cleveland Browns OTA offseason workouts at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on June 04, 2025 in Berea, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
Jerome Ford #34 of the Cleveland Browns runs a drill during Cleveland Browns OTA offseason workouts at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on June 04, 2025 in Berea, Ohio.
The Browns appeared set to be busy ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, with a 2-6 record and a dual mandate to shed unwanted players for draft picks, as well as adding new players who could stick in the long-term. It’s a tough needle to thread and, in the end, the Browns came out of the deadline virtually unchanged from the way they went in.
It was no secret that Myles Garrett was not going anywhere. But tight end David Njoku is still a member of the Browns, as are Alex Wright and Wyatt Teller. Perhaps most surprisingly–and most disappointingly for him–running back Jerome Ford is also still in Cleveland, despite having his reps drastically reduced and despite contenders (Chiefs, Patriots) having a need for running back depth.
In the end, only Joe Tryon-Shoyinka was swapped by Cleveland, who got a sixth/seventh-round pick swap in the deal with the Bears.
Browns Rookie RBs Have Taken Over
Ford is in his fourth season with the Browns and headed to free agency next spring. Things have not turned his way lately, as he went from starting 12 games and notching 813 yards on 204 carries in 2023 to a reduced, but still effective, role in 2024. He totaled 565 yards on 104 carries last year, with 225 yards receiving on 37 catches.
But this season, with the ascension of rookie Quinshon Judkins, Ford has been mostly useless. In eight games, he has 21 carries for 73 yards, and has played only 37% of the team’s snaps, down from 54% last season.
Fourth-round rookie Dylan Sampson has also bypassed Ford on the depth chart, making him a clear candidate for a trade.
Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins is the No. 1 running back heading into Week 3.
Getty ImagesBrowns running back Quinshon Judkins is the No. 1 running back in Cleveland.
Jerome Ford Trade Market Did Not Materialize
But the market for Ford was just not there, despite needs elsewhere. Given the rise of Judkins and Sampson, the folks at Bleacher Report dubbed Ford the Browns’ big loser from Tuesday’s deadline.
The site noted: “Buried on the depth chart, Jerome Ford touched the ball four times in Cleveland’s last two contests. Headed toward the free-agent market in 2026, the fourth-year veteran won’t be able to increase his market value alongside two younger running backs.”
Jerome Ford Buried on Browns Depth Chart
It was just three months ago, when Browns’ training camp was getting underway, that things were looking up for Ford. He had benefited in both 2023 and 2024 from injuries to Nick Chubb, and had kept the Cleveland running game afloat when Chubb went down.
Then, with Judkins facing domestic violence charges over the summer, it looked like Ford would be the run-game savior again.
“Most people look at it as we’re short on backs and we’re out there kind of tired, but our group, our coach, our team, we look at it as an opportunity for everybody else to get more reps, get better,” Ford said at the time. “Dudes who usually wouldn’t get reps getting more reps, and that’s how we look at it, an opportunity.”
Unfortunately, though, Ford’s opportunity came and went. The Browns are going with Judkins and Sampson, and Ford will be stuck as the RB3 in Cleveland for the remaining two months of the season.