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The Browns made 14 selections in this year’s draft, but they didn’t use any of them on running backs.

When head coach Hue Jackson was asked why the Browns didn’t add any players to their backfield a few days after the draft’s conclusion, he said it was because Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson “are as good as I’ve seen in a while” and described their talent as “extreme.”

“That is just a confidence booster,” Crowell said. “I feel like me and Duke both have what it takes to be a big threat on this level. Really, it just showed me that [Jackson] has great confidence in us. We want to go out there and give them all we’ve got.”

Johnson agreed that Jackson’s willingness to “bet it all with us” provided a lift this offseason and that a strong close to last year — they had 642 rushing yards in four games — was a sign of what they can do when given the opportunity. If Johnson is right, Jackson’s bet on the young backfield duo will pay off in his first year in Cleveland.