The Cleveland Browns may be mired with a 2-6 record and their playoff chances dire, but they will be getting an important piece of their offense back for the second half of the season. Kareem Hunt has served his eight-game suspension and will play his first NFL game since he was released by the Kansas City Chiefs last December. 

The Browns won't hesitate to incorporate Hunt into the offense. Head coach Freddie Kitchens already seems to have penciled him in as the No. 2 running back behind Nick Chubb. 

"I'm very much looking forward to Kareem (Hunt) being with us, being able to play," Kitchens said Monday, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. "He will definitely have a role."

Hunt was released by the Chiefs and served an eight-game suspension by the NFL for three separate off-field incidents: One was a fight in a Kansas City bar in January of 2018 when he was accused of being part of a group of people who assaulted a man; one was an altercation with a man in June of 2018 in the Lake Erie island town of Put-in-Bay, Ohio; and the third was an incident where he was caught on video pushing and kicking a woman during a February 2018 altercation that occurred in the hallway outside his hotel apartment in Cleveland. The final one led to the NFL investigating Hunt's situation after his release. Hunt signed with the Browns in February. 

There's no denying Hunt's talent on the football field and how he can benefit the Browns. He led the NFL in rushing yards as a rookie with 1,327 yards and averaging 4.9 yards per carry. He finished with 1,782 yards from scrimmage (272 carries for 1,337 yards and 53 catches for 455 yards) with 11 touchdowns in that 2017 season. He had 181 carries for 824 yards (4.6 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns, finishing with 26 catches for 378 yards (14.5 yards per catch) and seven touchdowns in 11 games last season. Hunt had 1,202 scrimmage yards and 15 touchdowns before the suspension.

The most important part of Hunt's game? He fumbled just once in his career, which was his first carry in the NFL, then went 545 consecutive touches without one.

The Browns could use Hunt's talent to give Chubb a rest on certain plays. No. 2 running back Dontrell Hilliard has just 13 carries for 49 yards and two touchdowns in seven games, while Chubb has been carrying the load at running back with with 154 carries for 803 yards and six touchdowns. Hunt's presence should take away from touches from Chubb and keep him fresh later in games, while providing a reliable third-down option for Cleveland.