Nyheim Hines, Cleveland Browns Running Back

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Minimum monthly payment, down payment, tax and delivery may be required. See store for details. All righty, our number three of our radio program, it is the Zach Gelb show coast to coast on CBS Sports Radio. The new league year is an hour in. So all the reported deals that were happening on Monday and Tuesday are now sealed, signed and delivered and officially announced as a 4 p.m. Eastern, still some big names that are out there as we gear up for the NFL draft. And a lot of people are wondering where Justin Fields is going to land via trade, assuming that the Bears do take Caleb Williams, number one.

And there is still a wide receiver, Calvin Ridley, who is available and waiting to see what's going to happen on that front. But now joining us, Naim Hines, who is now a member of the Cleveland Browns. And of course, Naim is joining us today on behalf of Muscular Dystrophy Association for its iconic Shamrocks campaign for MDA Shamrock's donations of $35 or more. We'll get people a free T-shirt and people go to MDA dot Shamrock's 2024 for more information.

Make sure you give them a follow on social media at MDA org for more information on this campaign. Naim Hines, first off, congratulations. Thanks so much for joining us. And how you been? Thanks, Zach.

Thanks for having me on the show. I've been well, had some ups and downs obviously these last seven or eight months, but I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Had big news yesterday, so things are trending up, rehabs going well and just working hard. Yeah, let me start you off with the health and then we'll get into the big decision to sign with Cleveland. Where are you at from a health standpoint right now?

I'm doing well. Started running three or four weeks ago, so I should be on schedule to return before training camp or at training camp. And that's the goal. Want to go out there and get my feet wet before, you know, preseason starts and get my mind mental and the playbook down so I can be ready to go. I'm excited to be there. I'm excited for the opportunity.

Really great team, really good quarterback and it's a playoff team. So I don't know what else I could be happier about than to have a playoff team want me and a team with Deshaun Watson as a quarterback and Coach Kevin as a great play caller and coordinator. Yeah, had this whole process kind of go about so you're obviously you were free agent teams could start hitting up your agent at 12 on on Monday and it came together what it seems like rather quickly that you end up becoming a Cleveland Brown and now it's official today, so kind of take me behind the scenes of your free agency process. Um, yeah, so I got released last Monday. My agent, let me know the Friday before that was being released on Monday. Little bit sad that you know my time in Buffalo was short I wish I was there a little bit longer which I got to play a little bit longer but that's how the business goes, and nothing but good things to say about the bills and organization and thankful that they traded a draft pick and a player for me and gave me an opportunity. And then I'm after that a four pop teams hit my agent up. Cleveland was I believe the first team to ask my agent, how things look and if they could get me out there on Monday, so I was out there on Monday.

A deal was offered on Monday and we figure out everything Tuesday and now it's official Wednesday so it wasn't really that hard of a process it felt a little bit like college but I guess I didn't have to go on a recruiting tour so to speak because the first team that really reached out to me I really like they really wanted me in a seems like a perfect fit and I think I'll fit in perfectly there. And you look at this team, you know, they had a very successful season a year ago, and they lost Nick child because of injury they lost to Sean Watson because of injury, you kind of look at this team and say man, if everybody could get healthy, you start to wonder that how good they could be especially with being a playoff team from a year ago with all those injuries. Absolutely, you know, the Browns have played against around several times, always have had a great defense top on defense last year was the number one defense so it's just on our side of the ball we got to pick it up offensively a guy stay healthy Nick and the Sean hopefully they're coming back myself as well and let's stay healthy so we can do something that's a great division, you know, they FC North is one of the toughest and not the best division at football so we know we have to do and we know if we can do well in that division we know we're well off in the playoffs so that's really the focus of getting healthy Ken Dorsey from the bills of my former OC is there now so he's going to add some wrinkles. Get the past game going to I believe and I think that we're trending in the right direction, we just got to catch up with defense we got to be top five and offense name Heinz here with us in the sack Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio now part of the Cleveland Browns signing with them the other day after getting released by the Buffalo Bills the quarterback to Sean Watson, you know it and I know at this sport, nine times out of 10 coming off a big football Sunday we're talking about quarterbacks on Monday we haven't seen to Sean be great since 2020 What do you think your new quarterback it's still accomplished in this league. I mean, I think you can still play as a ball up to them he's young, coming off for shoulder surgery so I mean I think he'll be just fine I mean, and in the I unfortunately had to play with play against them four or five years and I think you return back to that form he was a top five elite quarterback then I think he still has in them I think you know his last year, you had to figure out things and figure out plays and I think you know what Dorsey coming in and you know him being another in the system I think he'll just grow from that and I like to think he's gonna go back to that form that I unfortunately saw a lot, two times a year in India. There's a lot of talent on this team man, we talked about yourself we talked about Nick Chubb, you have David and Joku still there wide receiving standpoint Amari Cooper's phenomenal.

They trade for Jerry Judy Elijah Moore is still on this team, man. There's a lot of talent on this offense we know what the defense was there's really no excuses for this offense not to be a top five unit this upcoming season. Absolutely the sky's the limit for this team we have to just put together offensively like I said the defense was really great last year so it's really obviously as a new guy but not really gonna be say a leader of the team just really just making sure the offense goes we know the defense does honestly selfishly as a punt returner. They were number one defense in the league last year so that means a lot of people punted so a great opportunity for myself but as often as we pick it up Deshaun's gonna get with us early and we're gonna get this playbook together and we're gonna start grinding and the climb starts now.

It started as soon as the season's over and now free agency's going and the climb starts for me with the Browns with everybody. Injuries are the nasty unfortunate part of this game. You talked about how physically you're feeling well.

How about the mental side of it? How has this past season been for you and how do you kind of get through this to make sure that we see a big time return? It was the hardest year of my life, you know, just going from missing five games in my entire life and my first game in 2022 and first practice in five years in the NFL just was tough just not playing, seeing all my guys out there playing wishing I could help you know watching my team losing the playoffs like thinking geez I could help it help them win but honestly it was I was in a dark place probably until November or December but even maybe even a little bit of January but things have gone around I started running, I started seeing light at the end of the tunnel, I got released. The Lord helped me find a team very quickly and the rehabs going well so from a mental standpoint.

It was real rough and I was real down but honestly the past month or so has been positive and I'm starting to see the light of the tunnel I know what can happen and I know that I can do it to come back. There's a lot of changes happening in Buffalo right you weren't the only one that was released there in a bad salary cap situation. What do you kind of think about that current bills group that still remains because they've been a team, right, a few years ago they got to an AFC Championship and then since then they kind of just been stuck in that division around. I mean I think they're still gonna be a great team I mean, Josh Allen, one of the best, one of the best in the business I mean as long as you got him you, you can figure it out so I know that the bills in the front office they're going to figure out something in the draft and figure it out they're going to try to get guys in there I'm, I'm almost positive return to the team they were, they've been. They've been winning the division and doing all those things in the playoffs I believe that they will continue to do that Josh I was there that James Cook is their defense, the defense will step up they always have so I know that they'll figure it out. It's tough to win in this league, and we know Kansas City is this unstoppable force right now or even when they don't play their best. They still found the way to win back to back championships is just as simple as it's Kansas City's world and we're all living it, or do you kind of sense something else with Buffalo why they haven't been able to take that next step. I honestly just being the NFL, when I got in there and Patrick my home started it's kind of just like Tom Brady was just, you know, like, it's no secret in there so you know you have to be him. And the people that have been in playoffs and went to Super Bowl Joe burrow and Tom Brady so you know now like that's that's the standard you beat them in the playoffs you know you got a good chance and any person who's not looking at like that might see it differently but that's the team that's been there that's the team to beat, and we are fortunately and unfortunately on that same side so we got tested earlier but we know if you, I see if you win you can go to Super Bowl so that's how I see it.

Name Heinz here with us. Are you surprised, like there's a lot of running back movement, we knew these guys were going to be available but with how disappointing, let me say the markets been the last few years for running backs have you been surprised how quickly the running backs have been able to get their deals this offseason. You know, the running backs are dying breed, but the game is also changing and it's a little bit different now because you don't, it doesn't matter what you say you need a pass catcher you need somebody there to check the ball down even we've seen guys who aren't known as pass catchers like Derek Henry you've seen it when he's on the passing and catching screen scoring 80 yards so I think the position might be dying but the game is evolving and guys like myself and honestly, everybody back on his side is going to catch the ball so it doesn't matter if you're my size or 62220 you're going to catch the ball and in a passing game and on third down because you need you need to be a security blanket for your quarterback. If this was five years ago and you knew what you knew the running back position was going to be would you try to play another position. What No, I wish I was five years younger like when I was coming out all the guys are bigger. Yeah, from Miami he's my size I've seen in the past two or three years I've seen the increase in scat back selfishly so I was, I always feel like I'm a little bit before my time it's been great to see a lot of guys and running backs my size coming to lead making such an impact like, like, like Devon from Miami and I've seen a lot of guys kind of game will go out of scat backs you were getting a lot of love now but I won't say that I felt in 2018 so I'm really happy for the position in that aspect.

Now, before we let me run a few more minutes with him, we'll talk about a few things that you're working with today it just coming up in a second but I know that you're focused on your own and your own team and everything like that and you had to go through this process as well. But when you see Derek Henry since you mentioned him land in Baltimore, and you see Saquon Barkley land in Philadelphia just how do you kind of process that because man. With those quarterbacks and hurts and Lamar Jackson now you get a running back like that. I just don't know how defenses are going to stop.

I say quantum. I know everybody in that division defensively is upset because they knew he was leaving and he stayed right in the NFC is I think that's going to be really good as the best off the line he's probably been around. They do really good schemes up there for him, they do really schemes and Philly, and I'm sure they're gonna have great schemes for him. And as far as Eric Terry Lord I'm tired of seeing him on the other side I thought I got away from him when I went to Buffalo.

Although society Derek's a good guy great player, even better person. He has Lamar great quarterback I mean they're gonna, they're gonna be hard, they're gonna be tough to beat and we got to see him twice a year so we get to see and match up and see how we are in that playoff race or a playoff team. They can discuss limit for them so it's gonna be great to have that test early, man, and the division you go to I know you're happy you don't have to go up against miles Garrett anymore, and maybe get hit by him. But geez, some of the defenders in this division, especially with TJ watt in Pittsburgh. It's a tough division with a ton of defense.

Oh, it's a hard nose conference I can say that I respect the AFC North a lot every time I played the Browns Bengals. The Browns the Bengals of every team in the division you know it's the Ravens it's a tough division that Wednesday practice a little bit different you gotta, you gotta thought a little bit you got to hit a little bit you know that there's probably gonna be some junk talk in the game so you just go ahead and you mentally get your mind ready to have a blue collar type of day and it's a blue collar type of conference I'm a blue tie blue collar type of player and I'm excited for the opportunity to go out there and see what I can do. Tell me what you're doing today with muscular dystrophy Association I know this is a cause that's near and dear to you. Well, first off just I'm excited to go to Cleveland because everywhere I've been with the Muscular Dystrophy Association I've been able to meet families and that's how I really got started.

Just having a mother that has limber on muscular dystrophy and not really having a friend or families or know anybody like that. That's the one thing that's helped me with my partnership with the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This is my fourth year as a national spokesperson and today I'm here to talk about the NBA shamrocks it's the nation's largest fundraiser campaign for St. Patrick's Day. And it's really simple basically you go to participating retailers, you can find that on mba.org, but any participating any participating retailer you will see shamrock you can round up to the nearest dollar or donate whatever you're willing to donate if you donate more than $30 $35 or more, you'll get a shirt like I have right here with even a scan on the back that you can donate to but that's really that simple you can just round up or donate whatever you're willing to and to find out about that you go to mba.org for slash shamrock 2024.

Now it's a wonderful cause and we really do appreciate you shining some light on it today. Before we let you run, what do you hope to accomplish this season you talked about. Obviously the accident that occurred the injury and how tough it was for you this past year, but now starting to get back onto a football field knowing your next destination, what do you hope to accomplish individually as you get set for this upcoming season and honestly I think the first thing is personal I've taken time since my surgery I'm working on getting my real estate license in two different states, taking classes in school and lastly just get starting to work in the community as soon as I get to Cleveland I want to start doing meeting families from the MDA and just doing things around the community. And that way and trying to be a positive impact on the field I just want to first off get through the season unscathed and healthy have opportunity to prove to lead I'm healthy and do whatever happens after this one year deal and after that just get my catches.

I'd love to be in consideration player of the year but there's so many things I would like to do just honestly start me getting back and staying healthy and helping this team when I would love to win a division. If you don't mind me asking, because I remember when the story happened it was it was a jet ski accident like what actually happened that that led to the injury. Just honestly just with some people person wasn't paying attention I stopped there right behind me and this is long story short it was just long story short it was like Final Destination, just honestly just. I was riding in the wake zone stops. Somebody behind me wasn't paying attention and I got hit. It was kind of really just, yeah, the story of a very unfortunate.

I was on jet ski for about three minutes getting gas and I was actually on the way back to the dock and that's when it happened. So it's unfortunate, but I've learned from it. I know that I won't be on a jet ski or do anything like that until I retire and I know what I was supposed to learn from it. I know that I won't put myself or my team in position to lose me for the season or for me to even go through this again. It's unfortunate, but hey, you know, I think you're gonna have a good season in Cleveland excited to see what you guys are going to do with that team that is brewing appreciate the time today appreciate you informing us about the cause and good luck and good health. Thank you so much. Thanks for having me on the shows that old man winter here.

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