The Cleveland Browns are in the midst of a terrible, no good, very bad season, sitting at 2-6 at the midpoint of the year and riding a four-game losing streak. Their franchise quarterback shaved his facial hair multiple times between the time that he arrived at the stadium on Sunday and the time he gave his post-game press conference, during which he looked as though he has taken up residence in the shadow of the stadium on the streets.
But hey, they get Kareem Hunt this week, so they’ve got that going for themselves, which is nice.
Hunt, a Pro Bowl running back as a rookie in 2017 with the Kansas City Chiefs, was released during the season a year ago following a video-captured incident that shows him kicking and pushing a woman during a confrontation.
He was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List and, once signed by the Browns, handed down an eight-game suspension, which he has now served. He is eligible to play this upcoming week, where he will pair with second-year Nick Chubb, who has looked good for the most part this year outside of his fumbling.
While the Browns have not yet formally added him back to the roster from the exempt list, there should be no issue in doing so, as they released safety Jermaine Whitehead earlier this week following a series of social media postings directed at critics in which he personally attacked them and issued threats of physical violence.
In other words, there’s already a roster spot open. And he has been practicing for the past two weeks, so there should be no reason to believe he will not be on the roster and play for the Browns during their next game. Plus, they said as much.
“I’m very much looking forward to Kareem being with us, being able to play”, head coach Freddie Kitchens said earlier this week. “He will definitely have a role”.
During his rookie season, Hunt rushed for a league-high 1327 yards with eight touchdowns, averaging 4.9 yards per carry, also adding 455 receiving yards with another three touchdowns. He participated in 11 games last season prior to his release, during which he rushed for another 824 yards, with seven touchdowns, plus 378 receiving yards and another seven touchdowns through the air. He finished second to Antonio Brown in total touchdowns despite missing five games.
Given how poorly Cleveland’s season has gone, it’s likely that fans and detractors won’t even bat an eye about Hunt’s addition, even though it was met with controversy when it originally happened because of his off-field conduct.
