Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb suffered a devastating knee injury back in Week 2 of the 2023 campaign, suffering a torn ACL and a torn MCL.
The injuries required a pair of surgeries to repair, and as you would expect, Chubb’s future is in question.
Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com has provided a rather grim update on Chubb in the early stages of the offseason, saying we may not see the star halfback right off the bat in 2024.
“It’s doubtful Chubb will be ready for the start of the season. He had two major knee surgeries within three months,” Pluto wrote. “I hope he plays some in 2024. We probably won’t see the best of the post-surgery Chubb until 2025.”
The update is not exactly surprising.
Chubb has a history of knee issues, as the knee he injured this past season was the same one he injured back while he was at the University of Georgia in 2015.
He is also 28 years old, which, by running back standards, is starting to get a little older.
Chubb was selected by the Browns in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
He enjoyed a strong rookie campaign, rushing for 996 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging a robust 5.2 yards per carry. Then, between 2019 and 2022, Chubb made four straight trips to the Pro Bowl, with his best season coming in 2022 when he racked up 1,525 yards and 12 scores. He logged five yards per attempt.
What’s more, Chubb has never averaged less than five yards per tote throughout his career, and he boasts a lifetime average of 5.3 yards per carry.
Thanks to a strong running-back-by-committee backfield, Cleveland still managed to finish a respectable 12th in the league in rushing without Chubb this past season, but there is no doubt that the Browns are a much more dangerous offensive ballclub with Nick Chubb getting the bulk of the carries.