Ford has a favorable Week 3 matchup against the Giants, who rank 28th in rushing yards allowed, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Browns have had a couple of disjointed offensive efforts to open the season, but the winless Giants present an opportunity to fix the issues. Ford, who had just 19 carries in the first two weeks, could get that many touches this week. The Browns consider the ground game central to their plans but rank just 21st in rushing yards (109.0 YPG) after two games.

Ford rushed the ball seven times for 64 yards in Sunday's 18-13 win over Jacksonville. He added one reception on two targets for zero yards.

EDGE Analysis

Ford led Cleveland's backfield in Week 1 but was surprisingly limited against Jacksonville and was out-touched 15-8 by D'Onta Foreman. Game script likely had something to do with it, as Ford had one more opportunity than Foreman at halftime, but Cleveland was ahead by two possessions for a lengthy portion of the second half. Positively, Ford had two of the Browns' biggest gains with rushes of 36 and 12 yards. That efficiency combined with a lack of depth -- Pierre Strong (hamstring) exited Sunday's game -- should keep Ford in the mix for touches every week, though his volume could remain volatile.

Ford rushed the ball 12 times for 44 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 33-17 loss to the Cowboys. He added six receptions on seven targets for 25 yards.

EDGE Analysis

Ford unsurprisingly served as Cleveland's lead back but saw his volume on the ground limited by the game script. He made up for that with a garbage-time touchdown with 29 seconds remaining and also had strong involvement as a pass catcher. While Deshaun Watson made things difficult for the majority of the Browns' skill-position players, Ford was a beneficiary as a regular dump-off option. So long as Nick Chubb (knee) is sidelined, Ford should be capable of putting together similar results moving forward.

Ford rushed three times for 11 yards in the Browns' 37-33 preseason loss to the Seahawks on Saturday night.

EDGE Analysis

Ford played on the Browns' first two possessions before bowing out of the contest, closing out the exhibition slate with just five carries overall across two games. The light usage isn't surprising, considering Ford is in line to open the regular season as Cleveland's top backfield option while Nick Chubb goes through the final stages of his recovery from last season's devastating knee injury. Ford flashed plenty of encouraging play in a lead role last season following Chubb's injury, but in the early portion of the coming campaign, he'll contend with D'Onta Foreman for touches.

Ford isn't expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against Minnesota, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

EDGE Analysis

Ford started Cleveland's preseason opener and took two carries for four yards, but for this one he's on the long list of players expected to sit out, joined by QB Deshaun Watson, TE David Njoku and a handful of wide receivers. With fellow running backs Nick Chubb (knee) and Nyheim Hines (knee) still unavailable, Cleveland is left with Pierre Strong, D'Onta Foreman and Aidan Robbins as the backfield options.

Ford carried the ball twice for four yards in Saturday's 23-10 preseason loss to the Packers.

EDGE Analysis

The 24-year-old running back got the start for Cleveland's preseason opener but played only one series before Pierre Strong took over. Ford is expected to begin the regular season as the No. 1 option in the backfield, and even once Nick Chubb (knee) is cleared to return to action, the 2022 fifth-round pick should still have a significant role while Chubb ramps up his workload.

Ford (personal) returned to practice Monday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

EDGE Analysis

Ford missed practice from Thursday through the weekend to attend to an unspecified personal matter. He remains the favorite to lead Cleveland's backfield if Nick Chubb (knee) isn't ready by Week 1, but it could be a committee situation with D'Onta Foreman, Pierre Strong and/or Nyheim Hines (knee) also having roles.

Ford (personal) remained away from the team and missed Friday's practice, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

EDGE Analysis

Ford was out for a second consecutive practice, but Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski reiterated that Ford would be back "shortly." The coach also hinted that the running back will have "great news" to share once he returns to camp. The 24-year-old Ford is projected to be the Browns' lead back as long as Nick Chubb is recovering from his knee injury.

Ford missed Thursday's practice due to a personal matter, Patrick Warren of the Browns' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Ford is expected to return to camp Friday. With Nick Chubb (knee) on the active/physically unable to perform list and Nyheim Hines (knee) on the active/non-football injury list, Ford will be first in the running back line for drills once he's back.

Ford's preseason and regular-season roles will depend on the health statuses of his injured teammates, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

With Nick Chubb (knee) still recovering from knee surgery during the offseason, Ford handled first-team reps in spring workouts, and he likely heads into training camp as the lead back. The Browns could apply injury designations to Chubb and Nyheim Hines (knee) at the beginning of camp, which would cement Ford in the top spot for now. He could keep the job into the regular season if Chubb winds up on the reserve-PUP list, which would require him to miss at least the first four games of the schedule. Ford's role should sort itself out over the coming weeks.