Browns' subtle offensive adjustment should have fans (and fantasy players) buzzing

Dawg Pound Daily · Jul 22, 2026 19:00 · 3 min read

Browns' subtle offensive adjustment should have fans (and fantasy players) buzzing — Fullback Michael Burton | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Nine of 12 fullback-using teams ranked in the NFL's top half in yards per carry in 2025. Michael Burton could provide the spark the Browns' rushing attack needed.

In 2025, the Cleveland Browns had one of the NFL's most anemic rushing attacks. They finished with a paltry 3.8 average yards per carry, which ranked 28th in the league. It was truly a team failure, and no one's hands were particularly clean — from the coaches all the way down, there is work to be done. Back in late April, a relatively unassuming blip on the transaction log didn't get its proper due.

"The Cleveland Browns signed FB Michael Burton." A fullback?! Oh, yeah. Monken is really bringing Ravens-ball to the 216. See, fullbacks are more than just players. They're an attitude, a mindset. They help muddy up the identity of a football team in the best of ways. For a team that has lagged in the black-and-blue AFC North, the Browns could use some proverbial dirt on the jersey, and that's precisely what a fullback brings.

Michael Burton is no slouch either. At 6-feet and nearly 250 pounds, his job is to chauffeur Quinshon Judkins and Co. through truck-sized holes so they can get downhill and run roughshod over opposing defenses. Curiously, fullbacks have slowly gone extinct from the NFL. In fact, only 12 teams carried fullbacks in 2025, which raises the obvious question: are fullbacks worth the roster spot?

The Browns may have rediscovered the missing piece to their rushing attack

Of the 12 teams to deploy a designated fullback in 2025, nine ranked in the top half of the NFL in average yards per carry, including the league-leading Baltimore Ravens (5.3 YPC), the second-place Buffalo Bills (5.0), and the fourth-place Miami Dolphins (4.8). What's more, the three fullback-using teams that failed to reach league average yards per carry — the 49ers, Texans, and Seahawks — were all playoff teams.

Does adding a fullback guarantee a top rushing attack? Of course not. A dude like Bijan Robinson is going to feast regardless. Ditto for Jahmyr Gibbs, Jonathan Taylor, and the NFL's other top backs. None of them enjoyed the luxury of a fullback on their respective rosters in 2025, though. Perhaps they'd fare even better if they did.

It nonetheless makes sense for a stalled rushing attack to add someone whose near-entire purpose on the field is to crush people — on offense.

The Browns could use an infusion of toughness and grit, particularly after a trying rookie season for Quinshon Judkins. Judkins has received some flak from Warren Sharp and his fellow analytics gurus over at Sharp Football Analysis, mainly centered on his explosive play rate (five-plus yard runs). There are other stats that cut Judkins a little slack and make evaluating his body of work more labyrinthine, such as the fact that he faced the league's highest loaded-box rate.

In any case, Quinshon Judkins received a major vote of confidence from Andrew Berry, as the Browns opted to leave the running back room untouched in free agency and the draft. By adding Michael Burton, the Browns are reinforcing their belief in the second-year Buckeye and providing him with some assistance that he sorely needed as a rookie. If all goes to plan, he'll answer the call starting in Week 1.