There have been a few surprises in free agency so far this offseason but this move was more expected by most experts. The Cleveland Browns recently signed running back Ben Tate to a two year, $7 million deal.
Tate was the best running back on the market but the Browns were the only team to make a public run. I understand that this is a passing league and running backs aren’t as valuable as they used to be, but that comes off a little strange that only one team targeted him. He was extremely injury prone in his first four years as a professional so his contract is expected to be incentive based.
I know Cleveland couldn’t run the ball last year and he needs to stay healthy. New Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shannahan, will use the same zone blocking scheme he used in Washington and that Tate ran in at Houston after Shannahan left. Although he has an impressive burst, his game lacks wiggle that many star running backs possess in the NFL. Tate is a downhill runner who will need his blocking to click to have the breakout year fans have long expected.
He is a career 4.7 yards per carry guy I expect Cleveland to be a run first to set up play action kind of offense and right now, Tate is all they got. So this means a ton of work for an offense that should be decent at running the ball. Again needs to stay healthy but right now I have Ben Tate as a top 20 running back due to the amount of touches he will receive.
The new division he is in will be much more tough to run against then it was when he was on the Texans in the AFC South. Indianapolis, Jacksonville, and Tennessee all ranked in the bottom half of all NFL teams in defending against the run. In the AFC North he will be up against teams that are known to have tough and hard hitting defenses like Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore.
Cincinnati and Baltimore both ranked in the top five of least rushing touchdowns allowed all season. The Ravens allowed seven rushing touchdowns and the Bengals allowed six. Indianapolis, Jacksonville, and Tennessee surrendered 14 or more so Ben Tate’s chances of getting in the end zone dwindled some by moving to the AFC North.
The Browns traded their first round draft pick, Trent Richardson, to the Indianapolis Colts early in the season this past year. So far it seemed like a decent trade the fact that Richardson has had no impact on the Colts offense yet. The Browns used rookie Chris Ogbonnaya for a short period of time but then signed veteran running back Willis McGahee to take the lead role. McGahee led the team with Edwin Baker with two rushing touchdowns all season.
Ben Tate is definitely an upgrade to the offense and will hopefully do well enough to start in fantasy leagues next season. The offensive scheme fits his needs so it is likely that he can move the ball down the field for the Browns. The number of touchdowns may not be as much as we want but in PPR formats he will be a solid asset to any team.
2013-14 Stats: 181 rush attempts, 771 rush yards, 34 receptions, 140 receiving yards, four rush touchdowns
2014-15 Projections: 270 rush attempts, 1,100 rush yards, 47 receptions, 300 receiving yards, seven total touchdowns