Dylan Sampson News: Preparing for larger role

Sampson had three carries for eight yards, caught his lone target for nine yards and returned two kickoffs for 37 yards in Sunday's 31-6 win over Miami in Week 7.

Sampson was on the field for just nine snaps, but he out-touched veteran Jerome Ford, who had three touches on 13 snaps. The game provided more evidence that the rookie is taking over the No. 2 RB role from Ford. The trade deadline is two weeks away, and Sampson could be all alone behind starter Quinshon Judkins if Ford, who is in the final year of his contract, gets moved. That still may not translate into meaningful fantasy value for Sampson with Judkins dominating the backfield workload for Cleveland, but it would put him on the field more often for an offense that typically plays from behind and needs a reliable third-down back.