With less than a week until the 2023 regular season gets started in the NFL, it is a surprise that Kareem Hunt remains a free agent. After spending the last four seasons with the Cleveland Browns, he is looking for a new landing spot.
Kareem Hunt did struggle in 2022, as he wasn’t always on the same page with the coaching staff. His production slipped as a result, which is part of the reason that his market has been ice-cold this offseason.
It certainly hasn’t been for a lack of visits as multiple teams have had him in. Most recently, the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts hosted him for visits, but no deal got done. As a result, he continued his search.
Over at Bleacher Report, Nate LaJoie broke down the market for the former league-leading rusher and where he could land. One team that he mentioned was the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals would be a good landing spot, in the opinion of LaJoie, because of the kind of running game they deploy. They are a heavy zone running scheme, which fits Hunt’s style of play well.
Cincinnati would be able to replicate the blueprint that they have had to stop the last four seasons with Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb sharing the Cleveland backfield. Joe Mixon could step into the early down role Chubb occupied with Hunt taking over as the passing down back.
The Bengals don’t have much experience behind Mixon on their depth chart. Rookie Chase Brown is expected to take over the role Samaje Perine had before departing for the Denver Broncos.
Another team that LaJoie mentioned was the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings moved on from star running back Dalvin Cook earlier this offseason to try and save some money. That has left Andrew Mattison as the lead back and not much experience behind him either.
Kareem Hunt could offer a different skill set as a pass-catching compliment to Mattison and bring a lot of experience to the table. But, the addition of Myles Gaskin, who was waived by the Miami Dolphins, does complicate the Vikings’ backfield picture. If Kareem Hunt is looking for a chance to get the most playing time, Minnesota likely isn’t high on his list.
