When the Browns made running back Terrance West inactive for Week 6 against Pittsburgh, they seemed to commit to fellow rookie Isaiah Crowell as the backup to Ben Tate. And Crowell's performance in a change-of-pace role seemed to validate their decision. He ran 11 times for 77 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers.
The problem is the Browns then made West active for Week 7 at Jacksonville and gave him nearly as many touches. He had five carries for 8 yards and one catch for no gain while Crowell had seven carries for 18 yards and one catch for 5 yards.
Because both running backs struggled in relief of Tate (who himself wasn't so great), it's not like Crowell lost any ground in the competition, but apparently, it's back to being a competition. So the question remains: If you own Tate, who has had his share of injuries over the years, who should you handcuff to him?
My guess is still Crowell, but because I wouldn't feel confident I had the Browns backfield cornered unless I owned both him and West, I might just opt for neither. Or if dropping Crowell would be too painful, maybe I'd see what he (or maybe both he and Tate) could fetch me on the trade market.