Ben Tate is the top running back on PFT‘s Hot 100 list of the top free agents, coming in at 38th overall, and he’s making his first reported visit of free agency on Wednesday.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on a Wednesday morning SportsCenter that Tate is in Cleveland to meet with the Browns about joining their backfield.
Tate has been linked to Cleveland for quite a while, as the Browns have been expected to be in the market for a back since they traded Trent Richardson last season and Tate was at the top of every list of possible free agents. Some may point to the presence of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan as well, but Shanahan was gone from Houston before Tate arrived. Tate’s running style should be a good fit for what Shanahan likes in the running game, though.
Tate battled through broken ribs for much of last season before finally landing on injured reserve at the end of the year. He ran for 771 yards on 181 carries in the 14 games he was able to play.