Cleveland Browns rumors: Ben Tate the ‘slight favorite’ to win starting running back job
By Jack Crosby
The Cleveland Browns wanted helped in their backfield this season, so they went out and got one of the more sought after backs on the free-agent market in former Houston Texan Ben Tate. Despite never having a definitive starting role, he filled in favorably enough for the Texans when Arian Foster went down that he earned himself a payday.
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When he was brought in, it was expected by many that he would automatically be slotted in to the Browns’ starting role, but that hasn’t seemed to have been the case. There are a lot of people that are in favor of putting rookie Terrance West ahead of Tate, which has indirectly caused a running back controversy in Cleveland, to go along with the already brewing quarterback one.
For now though, as training camp gets set to get underway for the Browns, Vic Carucci from the team’s website points out that Tate is the favorite to be the starter, albeit slightly.
"As one of the Browns’ priority free-agent signings and with four years of NFL experience as a solid backup with the Houston Texans, Ben Tate enters camp as at least a slight favorite to win the starting job. When he was first signed, Tate had every reason to assume he was a shoo-in to become the Browns’ No. 1 back because at the time there was no one approaching his talent level on the team."
Right now at this point, though, being called the slight favorite to win the job means very little, seeing as the competition has really yet to begin.