Heavy Sports The soonest Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb could return is Week 5 against the Washington Commanders.
There’s still no word on when Nick Chubb will be back on the field with the Cleveland Browns, but the star running back made an appearance before the team’s matchup against the New York Giants on Sunday.
Chubb was seen helping the team warm up, tossing passes to some teammates. Notably, Chubb was not wearing a knee brace as he launched some throws at Huntington Bank Field.
“Always good to see Browns RB Nick Chubb on the field pregame,” Camryn Justice of News 5 Cleveland wrote on X along with the video.
Always good to see #Browns RB Nick Chubb on the field pregame.
Chubb suffered a major knee injury in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. He missed the rest of the season and had both his ACL and MCL repaired during two separate surgeries.
Nick Chubb Eligible to Return for Browns in Week 5
Getty ImagesCleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb on the field ahead of a matchup against the Giants.
There was early optimism about Chubb’s availability for Week 1, but those predictions proved overly optimistic. The four-time Pro Bowler began the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform (PUP) list and will need to miss at least one more game before he’s eligible to return.
“He’s working very, very hard,” Stefanski said in late August. “The outlook for him is a day by day type of thing, and that’s kind of how Nick operates, how I operate. So I’ll tell you today, I’m watching him. He’s working hard. He’ll continue to do that. He’s a huge part of everything we’re doing. He’s in every meeting, so no update other than to say, as you guys know, he’s working very hard.”
Chubb has remained fairly mum on his situation, aside from some social media posts. Both he and the team have been cautious about setting firm expectations for when he could return. Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com theorized Chubb’s absence could last beyond Week 5.
“As far as Nick Chubb is concerned, we haven’t heard anything much but Week 5 might be a little bit soon. I’d expect to see him somewhere around midseason,” Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot said on the “Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show” recently. “Maybe they’ll get him through the bye (Week 10) and let him come back after that. I think they can get the running game accomplished without Nick. I think the 1-2 punch of Jerome and D’Onta Foreman is going to work as they feel their way through it a bit more.”
Browns Struggling to Find Identity Without Nick Chubb
Chubb has collected 6,511 yards and 48 touchdowns in 77 career games — all with the Browns. He’s averaging 84.6 yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry. The Browns’ offense misses Chubb dearly.
Cleveland dropped to 1-2 after Sunday’s loss against the Giants. The Browns were a near-touchdown favorite for the matchup. The offense has lacked an identity and has been unable to get the running game going.
Cleveland is averaging just 95.7 yards per game on the ground and managed just 69 against the Giants. Jerome Ford leads the Browns with 29 carries for 145 yards and a touchdown through three games. D’Onta Foreman has also pitched in, notching 47 yards on 16 carries.
The Browns will travel to Las Vegas next week to take on the Raiders, which could be an opportunity to get the running game on track. The Raiders are giving up 152.7 yards per game on the ground, the fifth-worst in the NFL.
J.R. DeGroote covers the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com. He graduated from Arizona State and has decades of experience in digital media with previous stops at SBNation and Bleacher Report. He has won multiple state, regional and national honors for sports reporting and photography. More about J.R. DeGroote
