CLEVELAND, Ohio — Browns running back Dylan Sampson didn’t do much pass-catching at Tennessee — he had 40 receptions in three seasons and never caught more than four in a game. He had one or zero catches in seven games last season.

Still, he came in confident he could be an effective receiver in the NFL.

“Something that I wasn’t able to showcase a lot at Tennessee, but I feel like I was able to showcase what could be at my pro days and at the combine,” Sampson said at the team’s rookie minicamp in May. “Anytime I could run routes, I ran routes.”

All the work paid off for Sampson on Sunday against the Bengals when he led the Browns with eight receptions and was second on the team with 64 receiving yards. His ability to find positive yards catching out of the backfield helped alleviate some of the team’s struggles in the run game.

“I thought Dylan did a nice job,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “He was out there because we trust him. He has the ability in the run and the pass game to affect the game.”

Sampson’s ability to catch passes goes back to his early days playing football — and to advice from his dad, Eric.

“He always told me … he was like, you need to learn how to run routes and catch the ball, too,” Sampson said on Wednesday.

It wasn’t the exact advice Sampson wanted to hear. He thought maybe his dad was trying to get him to play receiver, something people would suggest to him due to his smaller stature as he moved up the ranks.

“I heard that before I got to college because I’m not the biggest running back,” Sampson said. “It’s like, you sure you want to do this and this and that? But I’ve always felt like I had a mind for a running back.”

His dad’s advice wasn’t about changing positions, though. It was about expanding his horizons.

“He just told me, ‘The more you could do,’” Sampson said, “and I keep that with me and obviously this league is evolving into that.”

Instead of bristling at the idea of being asked to catch passes, he sees it as an opportunity in the modern NFL, where players who can be chess pieces are more valuable than ever.

“I’m an athlete,” he said. “I’m at this level now. It’s like, however, I can help this team, whatever that looks like. Some games might be rushing, some games might be more in the passing game. Something’s got to click, and I want to be one of the ones clicking, so however I can be.”

The Browns drafted Sampson in the fourth round after selecting Quinshon Judkins in the second round, and the vision was clear early on. While Judkins is seen as the bell cow, Sampson provides a change of pace and a player who can be used in multiple ways.

“Being able to play in the slot sometimes, being able to put him in the backfield, kind of moving him around,” Browns running backs coach Duce Staley said during training camp, “kind of dumping a lot on him to see how he adjusts and he’s adjusting well.”

The plan was upended when Judkins was arrested for domestic battery prior to training camp. Prosecutors in South Florida deemed the case not worth pursuing in August, and Judkins and the Browns finally agreed to a contract on Saturday. He was in New York Wednesday as part of the league’s investigation into the matter.

Sampson started in Judkins’ absence on Sunday, and the run game never quite got going. Once Judkins returns to a full workload, the Browns can deploy the two backs to keep defenses on their toes. Sampson’s versatility will only help.

He’s embracing the idea of being an athlete, of being a weapon instead of simply being a runner.

“It keeps the defense on their heels,” he said, “force them to cover the whole field, gives you the ability to attack the run game, too, when you kind of go away from the pass game. But, I mean, all cylinders are clicking. It’s just what you want as an offense.”

Whether it’s as a runner or a receiver, Sampson just wants to make an impact.

“You’ve got to be an athlete with the ball in your hands anyway,” he said. “That’s why I say, I play ball.”

He’ll play it any way the Browns need him.