Rumors are that the Commanders have some potential interest in Kareem Hunt, a running back acquisition that The Sports Junkies were split on but understood as good depth early Friday morning.
How do Grant & Danny feel about that idea, though?
“That is interesting to me, and my first thought was, Hunt used to be really, really good, but he’s not anymore; he’s not old, but he’s past his prime,” Grant said Friday. “Generally, a running back at age 28, seven years in, that’s where you’re starting to fall off.”
Maybe so, but in the new NFL?
“In a league where you’re not signing a bell cow, you already have Brian Robinson as the thumper and Antonio Gibson who can do a little bit of everything, and a room you like – a legitimately deep and formidable room – do they need Kareem Hunt? No,” Grant said. “But, he was with Bieniemy in Kansas City, and they’ve already gotten Andrew Wylie to play right guard, and kicked Cosmi, who they drafted, inside to guard.”
Looking into the stats, Hunt was a beast in Kansas City while Bieniemy was the running backs coach and then the offensive coordinator, had two years that were “borderline historical” in terms of all-purpose production before he got into trouble, and then was “very solid and, at times, excellent” as Nick Chubb’s backup in Cleveland.
“Yeah, as long as it doesn’t cost much, and I don’t think it would, I am very into this,” Danny said. “He was No. 2 behind Nick Chubb, who is as good as anyone in the NFL, so I think this fits what they like an awful lot, and this is the perfect buy-low time. They should be kicking the tires on these kinds of players to improve the offense; I think he can play, and he has a better track record of doing what they want than some of the guys they’ve asked to fill that role.”
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Danny thinks “the offense has been terrible,” so he’s all in favor if it’s cheap, but as Grant noted, there are quite a few marquee names available at the running back position – but Hunt may be the best fit?
“If he came here, though, his role might be what it was with the Browns: a timeshare with 125 or so carries and he would catch passes,” Grant said. “I don’t think they know who will be their J.D. McKissic; I know they want Antonio Gibson to be that guy who can be the third down pass catcher, pass protector who goes out in the flat for six to eight targets – and if Hunt came here, I think that would cut into any chance Gibson would have to break out.”
“I agree, and I’m not wed to any of these guys, as much as I like Brian Robinson’s story and the concept of all of them,” Danny said. “I think they’ve used too much draft capital, frankly, in the third round; I would always do the Chris Rodriguez tier of back and churn them through, but they’re not going to sign any of these guys to an extension.”
True, but here’s Grant’s concern:
“You’ve sunk some assets into RB, don’t you want them to pay off for you now? You have two third-round picks, a rookie in Rodriguez, and Jonathan Williams is take-him-or-leave-him, back of the roster guy…but don’t you want them to just play football?” Grant asked. “I don’t view Hunt as redundant to Robinson, who would be the focal point of the running game, but maybe it could work.”
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Grant then launched into being a kid and getting mad when Clinton Portis would come out of games, but as he said, we “have to constantly update our file on what a running back is.”
All that said…
“Outside of a few guys, that era is over; this is now a three or four-person job, a puzzle where you fit a couple pieces together to make production,” Grant said. “I think Hunt could be an asset there, so I am interested and intrigued…I won’t adamantly say yes to picking him up, but if they do, I will understand it, and be excited to see how they use him.”
And that’s because, to his earlier point and Danny’s thought, Grant knows sometimes, the whole is better than the sum of its parts.
“The guys he’d be taking reps away from…what’s their ceiling?” Grant asked. “Robinson I feel is more of a 1A