# Jerome Ford

Jerome Ford (born September 12, 1999) is an American professional football running back for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama and Cincinnati. He was selected by the Browns in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft.

## Early life

Ford attended Armwood High School in Seffner, Florida. He committed to the University of Alabama to play college football.

## College career

Ford played at Alabama in 2018 and 2019. Over the two years he rushed for 151 yards on 31 carries with three touchdowns. In 2020, he transferred to the University of Cincinnati. During his first year at Cincinnati in 2020, he played in 10 games as the backup to Gerrid Doaks, rushing for 483 yards on 73 carries with eight touchdowns. In 2021, he became the team's starter.

### College statistics

| Season | Team | GP | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving |
| Season | Team | GP | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2018 | Alabama | 4 | 7 | 37 | 5.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Alabama | 4 | 24 | 114 | 4.8 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 0 |
| 2020 | Cincinnati | 10 | 73 | 483 | 6.6 | 8 | 8 | 51 | 6.4 | 0 |
| 2021 | Cincinnati | 13 | 215 | 1,319 | 6.1 | 19 | 21 | 220 | 10.5 | 1 |
| Career | Career | 31 | 319 | 1,953 | 6.1 | 30 | 31 | 282 | 9.1 | 1 |

## Professional career

Pre-draft measurables :
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump |
| 5 ft 10+1⁄2 in (1.79 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | 30+5⁄8 in (0.78 m) | 9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m) | 4.46 s | 1.56 s | 2.61 s | 4.22 s | 7.31 s | 31.0 in (0.79 m) | 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day |||||||||||
Ford was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round, 156th overall, of the 2022 NFL draft. He suffered an ankle injury in Week 4 and was placed on injured reserve on October 4, 2022. He was activated from injured reserve on November 12, 2022.
In 2023, Ford took over as the starting running back after Nick Chubb suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2. Ford finished the season with 813 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 204 rushing attempts, as well as 44 catches for 319 yards and five touchdowns on 63 targets.
Ford was named the starting running back in 2024 while Nick Chubb recovered from his 2023 injury, but was moved to a backup role following his return midseason. He played in 14 games with six starts, recording 565 rushing yards and three touchdowns, along with 37 catches for 225 yards.

## NFL career statistics
### Regular season

| Year | Team | Games | Games | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Kickoff return | Kickoff return | Kickoff return | Kickoff return | Kickoff return | Fumbles | Fumbles |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost |
| 2022 | CLE | 13 | 0 | 8 | 12 | 1.5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 723 | 24.1 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | CLE | 17 | 12 | 204 | 813 | 4.0 | 69 | 4 | 44 | 319 | 7.3 | 50 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | CLE | 1 | 1 | 12 | 44 | 3.7 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 25 | 4.2 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Career | Career | 31 | 13 | 224 | 869 | 3.0 | 69 | 5 | 50 | 344 | 3.8 | 50 | 5 | 30 | 723 | 24.1 | 48 | 0 | 1 | 1 |

### Postseason

| Year | Team | Games | Games | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Fumbles | Fumbles |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost |
| 2023 | CLE | 1 | 1 | 9 | 17 | 1.9 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 3.8 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | Career | 1 | 1 | 9 | 17 | 1.9 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 3.8 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |