Getty Images Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb on the field ahead of a matchup against the Giants.
The Cleveland Browns are desperate for any good news, and they just got a huge shot of it in the form of running back Nick Chubb.
Chubb, who suffered a catastrophic knee injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2 of last season, officially returned to the practice field on Wednesday, October 2. It was the first time the four-time Pro Bowler took part in official team practice activities in nearly 13 months.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com shared footage of Chubb running through drills via an X post on Wednesday.
#Browns Nick Chubb practicing for the 1st time since his devastating left knee injury:
“#Browns Nick Chubb practicing for the 1st time since his devastating left knee injury,” Cabot captioned the video.
Nick Chubb’s Knee Injury Could Have Cost Running Back His NFL Career
GettyCleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb.
Chubb’s comeback, while lengthy, is even more remarkable based on the nature of his injury. The running back suffered a torn ACL as well as damage to his MCL, medial capsule and meniscus.
Chubb suffered the latter three of those specific traumas during a similarly terrible injury that he sustained in 2015 while a member of the Georgia Bulldogs. In total, doctors had to perform two surgeries to reconstruct Chubb’s knee, after which came upwards of a full year of rehabilitation.
And, unfortunately for Chubb and the Browns, he hasn’t reached the end of the rehab road just yet. Upon activating the running back from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, where he began the season, Cleveland opened a 21-day practice window for Chubb.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has already reported that Chubb will not play against the Washington Commanders in Week 5.
“The Pro Bowler is not expected to play in Cleveland’s Week 5 game against the Commanders, but the team opening his three-week window will be a significant sign that he is set to return mid-season as Chubb and the Browns had hoped,” Rapoport wrote on September 29.
Nick Chubb May Not Be Game-Ready in Time to Help Save Browns’ Season
GettyCleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb.
The Browns travel to Philadelphia the following week to face the Eagles, returning home in Week 7 to square off with the AFC North Division rival Cincinnati Bengals. It is most likely that Chubb will make his return to game action in one of those two contests.
That may not be soon enough to help Cleveland salvage its season, however, as the Browns are 1-3 and struggling all across the offense — particularly on the offensive line, which has battled injuries across the board and consistently performed poorly through the first month of the campaign.
Cleveland has already parted ways with running back Gary Brightwell to make room for Chubb’s return to the roster. Chubb will almost certainly be back as one of the top two running backs alongside Jerome Ford when he does see the field again, though how the Browns will assign roles and workloads remain open questions.
D’Onta Foreman is currently the No. 2 running back option behind Ford, as Pierre Strong Jr. remains sidelined by an injury.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group's family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
