How Ben Tate's Return Will Impact Browns' Backfield in Week 5 and Beyond

Though limited in practice on Wednesday, Cleveland Browns running back Ben Tate is expected back in the active starting lineup for the team's Week 5 contest against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Tate, a veteran free-agent signing in the offseason, had missed the Browns' last two games with a knee sprain.

Tate's return might present a problem for the Browns this week, but it's not an unpleasant one. With Tate back on the field, the Browns backfield becomes crowded—Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell have been holding down the fort admirably in Tate's absence.

But perhaps it's a bit too crowded for Tate's taste, based on his comments to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer: 

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Three? I don't know about three. That's tough. That's tough to have three running backs. As a running back you want to get into a rhythm, so it's tough to have three, but two? Yeah, I definitely think two running backs works.

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Still, the Browns are a run-first, run-often offense; three running backs in the rotation wouldn't be unwieldy. It could, however, harm the offensive rhythm as Tate said. Therefore, someone has to be the odd man out, or at least the one held to very few touches.

Currently, West is the Browns' leading rusher with 47 carries for 204 yards and two touchdowns. He's averaging 4.3 yards per carry and has also caught four passes on four targets for 27 yards. He's filled in for Tate quite well, proving he might just be as three-down capable as the veteran. 

Player	Atts.	Yds.	YPA	TD	Long
West	47	204	4.3	2	29
Crowell	27	141	5.2	3	22
Tate	6	41	6.8	0	25

Crowell is the one-cut battering ram. He's carried the ball 27 times, for 141 yards and three scores, netting him a 5.2 yards-per-carry average. He's not as versatile—Crowell has just one reception on one target—however, he has more rushing touchdowns already than any individual Browns running back did in 2013.

In fact, the Crowell-West tandem has already produced one more rushing touchdown than the Browns did in the entire 2013 season. The run game is a strength, no matter which combination of backs lead it. The question, however, is who to choose for Week 5 and beyond, and how.

Head coach Mike Pettine indicated to Cabot that this week of practice will go a long way to determine the division of Sunday's rushing workload—and to get a true gauge of how far along Tate really is in his recovery from his injury. But running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery sees Tate as the starter:

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That's what we brought Tate here for, to be the starter. He's the No. 1 running back in this offense. Tate is beyond what the other guys' skill [level is] because he's had to climb that mountain. Right now, you can say we miss him. We miss his experience. We miss his leadership with the group. We'll be open arms and welcome to have Ben back into the fold, so he can come out and help us win more ballgames.

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Tate has just six carries so far this season, netting him 41 yards and no scores. Though he does have an impressive 6.8 yards-per-carry average, that number is skewed by his longest run, a 25-yarder. Taking that run away, Tate's stat line is a considerably more average five carries for 16 yards, giving him a yards-per-rush average of 3.2.

If the Browns are going to approach the run game this week by feeding the back with the hot hand, then Tate might not be it, even though he has the experience and skill advantage over the two rookies. That also is a strong argument in favor of having all three running backs active and available to the Browns this Sunday.

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Another is Tate's health. Tate's recent knee sprain isn't his first significant injury since coming into the NFL. His rookie season, in 2010, was over before it started, with Tate having suffered a broken ankle in the preseason. His injury led to Arian Foster becoming the starter for the Houston Texans.

In 2012, Tate's season was marred by both hamstring and foot injuries. And his 2013 ended on injured reserve, after playing most of the year with broken ribs. His durability was an issue since the Browns signed him in the offseason and has already proved to be a warranted concern.

Therefore, it's hard to guarantee that Tate will stay healthy for the remainder of the 2014 season—or even for the entirety of Sunday's game. Though Tate may play the first snap or get the first carry, making him technically the starter, he may not get the most use.

And if either West or Crowell are the hot-hand back, that could spill over into Week 6 and beyond. Tate, at this point, appears to be starter in name only and in jeopardy of losing that title and touches if the rookies continue to impress.

At the very least, the return of Tate adds another weapon in the Browns' rushing arsenal. Currently, the Browns are averaging a ninth-ranked 30 rushing attempts per game, netting them a 10th-ranked 132.7 yards per game. There is room for Tate, West and Crowell to all get touches when rushing that often.

Tate does have a way to go before he truly clinches the title of the Browns' starting, featured running back. He'll certainly be in the mix on Sunday against the Titans, but with West and Crowell also playing well, Tate will need to impress in order to earn the lion's share of the rushing touches going forward.