In Week 2 of the 2023 season, running back Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns had a severe knee injury that resulted in a ruptured ACL and a damaged MCL.
Two surgeries were necessary to treat the injuries, and Chubb’s future is obviously in doubt.
Early in the offseason, Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com gave us a somewhat pessimistic update on Chubb, stating that we might not see the star halfback right away in 2024.
It’s unlikely that Chubb will be prepared for the season to begin. Within three months, he underwent two significant knee surgery,” Pluto said. “I’m hoping he gets to play in 2024. The best Chubb after surgery is definitely a long way off, maybe not until 2025.
Chubb has a history of knee problems; during his time at the University of Georgia in 2015, he suffered a similar injury to the knee he damaged this past season.
In addition, he is 28 years old, which is beginning to get a little older by running back standards.
In the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Browns selected Chubb.
He had an excellent first campaign, averaging a solid 5.2 yards per carry while running for 996 yards and eight touchdowns. Then, Chubb made four consecutive visits to the Pro Bowl between 2019 and 2022. His greatest season was 2022, when he accumulated 1,525 yards and 12 touchdowns. He gained five yards for each try.
Furthermore, Chubb has a career average of 5.3 yards per carry and has never had a tote average lower than five yards.
Even without Chubb, Cleveland managed to rank a respectable 12th in the league in rushing this past season thanks to a potent running-back-by-committee backfield. However, there’s no denying that the Browns are a far more potent offensive team when Nick Chubb gets the majority of the totes.
