CLEVELAND — Entering the 2019 season, the Cleveland Browns lay claim to no shortage of offensive talent; Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, David Njoku, Rashard Higgins and Nick Chubb each help to surround quarterback Baker Mayfield with one of the best offensive arsenals in all of football.
So perhaps it was only natural that it was backup running back Dontrell Hilliard who scored the first touchdown of the Browns' highly anticipated 2019 campaign.
Now in his second season with the team, Hilliard entered Sunday's season opener without an NFL carry to his credit. His first rushing attempt, however, was well worth the wait as his four-yard run gave Cleveland a 6-0 lead over the Tennessee Titans with 10:11 remaining in the first quarter.
Hilliard's 4-yard run capped an 8-play, 73-yard Cleveland drive to open the first quarter. On the drive, Mayfield completed four of his five pass attempts for 64 yards, with two of his completions going to Beckham and two going to Higgins.
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After the Browns traded Duke Johnson to the Houston Texans in August, Hilliard figures to serve as Cleveland's primary backup running back to Chubb as Kareem Hunt opens the 2019 season serving an eight-game suspension. In addition to his role as a reserve running back, Hilliard will also double as one of the Browns' top returners.
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