Kareem Hunt to do 'whatever it takes' to help Browns after re-signing with hometown team

BEREA — Kareem Hunt was finishing up a Zoom call with the media when all of the sudden, he had a visitor.

"Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back," Browns linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. said as he charged into the picture and hugged Hunt.

Welcome back, indeed.

Hunt and the Browns came to an agreement on a one-year, $4 million deal on Wednesday, returning him to the team for whom he spent the previous four seasons. The Willoughby native and free-agent running back adds veteran depth to a very young running back room after Nick Chubb was placed on injured reserve with a season-ending knee injury.

"It feels great," Hunt said of re-signing with the Browns. "You know, (just) being back in the building that I've been at for the past four or five years and seeing all these faces and a motivated team."

Hunt's role with the Browns will eventually be, as it was the last time around, the second option in the backfield. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski reaffirmed on Wednesday the fact that second-year pro Jerome Ford will be the starter when they play host to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Stefanski stopped short of definitively saying Hunt, who worked out for the Browns Tuesday, would play Sunday. He said the back was "in good shape" but that "there's football shape and there's working out to stay ready shape."

Ford, the former 2022 fifth-round pick, replaced Chubb after the injury in Monday night's loss in Pittsburgh. He rushed for 106 yards on 16 carries, and caught a 3-yard touchdown the play after Chubb was carted off.

“Jerome's very young," Hunt said. "He's talented, got a lot of speed and he’s made a big jump. He’s just growing and getting better. So, I'm excited to see us paired together, how we can wear down defenses and break runs.”

Hunt, 28, had been looking for a team with which to sign since become an unrestricted free agent at the end of last season. He appeared well down the road on potentially signing with either the New Orleans Saints or the Indianapolis Colts at times during training camp, but didn't finalize the deal.

The former NFL rushing leader as a rookie in 2017 with the Kansas City Chiefs, Hunt played 49 career games with the team that plays less than 20 miles from his high school alma mater, Willoughby South, between 2019-22. He rushed for 1,874 yards and 16 touchdowns during that time, mostly spent as the counterpunch to Chubb.

"I think it's a big deal," Stefanski said. "When you add players that are free agents, oftentimes you have to ramp them up and get them ready to play, and we have done that. You can do that in this case. There's obviously some newness that Kareem is learning, but he can pick up things very quickly, so that definitely factored into it."

Hunt's relationship with Chubb made it a bittersweet occasion. Chubb left Monday night's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with 14:14 remaining in the second quarter after Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick crashed into his left knee on a 3-yard run.

Chubb will require surgery on the knee, but was back in the Browns' facility on Tuesday. That didn't change the pain Hunt felt for his teammate.

“That one hurt," Hunt said. "Seeing that. I watched it live and I hate seeing that happen to one of my brothers and the guy that I care so much about and would go to war for any time of the day. It’s circumstances, I guess. God just had a plan to help guide me back here."

That didn't seem like a possibility at the time Hunt's previous stay ended nine months ago. It was clear throughout the season the idea of being the Robin to Chubb's Batman was wearing on him, even as he finished with 468 rushing yards and three touchdowns in 17 games.

There was a training-camp trade request last year that was quickly shot down by the Browns. Hunt then conducted a camp "hold-in" where he refused to participate in team drills for a 48-hour period.

There were strong vibes put out by him that he was hoping to be dealt at the trade deadline. A day before the deadline, he famously did his postgame interview after a Oct. 31 game against the Cincinnati Bengals while wearing a Joker mask.

Hunt wasn't traded, but his workload certainly seemed to decrease. After posting double-digit carries in six of the first eight games, he never had more than nine in any of the final nine games.

After the season finale in Pittsburgh, Hunt all but sounded like he was saying goodbye to playing for his hometown team. Two days after the Browns' most recent trip to Pittsburgh, he was back again and talking about doing what he can to assist.

"I have mad respect for everybody in this building and it was never to that point," Hunt said. "So it was good to see everybody, talk over expectations and things that I can help and just help this team win. I'm willing to come in and do whatever it takes just to help win. My biggest thing is help win the Super Bowl."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kareem Hunt ready to do 'whatever it takes' after returning to Browns