Demetric Felton, the former Cleveland Browns running back the Cincinnati Bengals added to the practice squad, is a guy who coaches say has been playing out of position.
Those Browns used Felton in a hybrid role, lining him up at running back and wide receiver out of the slot.
Buy Bengals TicketsWith the Bengals, offensive coordinator Brian Callahan says Felton will only play running back.
“He’s kind of played out of position,” Callahan said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He is doing a lot of slot receiverish-type things, not as much pure running back. It’ll be fun to see what he looks like for us as a back. And I think he’s got some legitimate skill.”
It’s an approach that makes sense from a team-depth standpoint, with things still unsteady behind starter Joe Mixon. Trayveon Williams had the injury in training camp, Chase Brown is a rookie (though projected to break out) and Chris Evans hasn’t seen a significant workload.
If another injury or poor performance forces the team’s hand, Felton is a depth guy they could turn to now that coaches think they have his position and fit in the offense nailed down.