BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb doesn’t have an exact timetable for his return from a torn ACL and MCL, but he believes he’s making progress and will be on the field this upcoming season.
“I like where I am,” Chubb said of his rehab program. “I’m where I need to be.”
Chubb spoke to reporters Wednesday for the first time since suffering the injury in September. He needed separate surgeries to repair the torn MCL and ACL in his left knee, the same one that was previously repaired during his second college season at Georgia.
“I’ve been through it before,” Chubb said. “My whole goal is to be back out there.”
never count out @NickChubb pic.twitter.com/t8zml0sqJr
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) June 5, 2024
He won’t return to the practice field until training camp at the earliest. In April, Chubb progressed from stretching and pool workouts to running on land, and he’ll be closely monitored in the coming weeks.
“I just know Nick is working like crazy,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “He’s working like crazy and I get to witness it. I know everybody wants to know ‘when’ and all that, but he’s a huge part of what we do.”
When healthy, Chubb has been arguably the NFL’s best running back. Earlier this offseason, Chubb agreed to a pay cut in the final year of his current contract to ensure his return for at least this season.
The 2024 Browns have high expectations, and all involved know the chances of them becoming a true AFC contender increase if Chubb plays the way he has for most of his career.
a smiling @NickChubb is everything we needed today 😄 pic.twitter.com/2ghGmCgatQ
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) June 5, 2024
Chubb suffered the injury during a Week 2 game in Pittsburgh when Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick hit him on his left knee. It was immediately clear that Chubb had suffered a serious injury. In the weeks that followed, Chubb had surgery to repair the medial capsule, meniscus and MCL. He had a second surgery to repair damage to his ACL in November.
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On Wednesday, Chubb said he did “not think (Fitzpatrick’s) hit was dirty at all.”
“I’m not blaming him,” Chubb said. “It’s part of the game.”
Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry never talks contract issues publicly, but in January he hinted that the Browns and Chubb would need to work out a new deal ahead of the running back’s anticipated return. The sides reached an agreement — but not an extension — in April that reduced Chubb’s 2024 base salary by around $4 million and gave him a chance to earn that money back in incentives.
Once he returns, Chubb will play most of his seventh NFL season at age 28 before turning 29 in December.
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Ken Dorsey, a new running backs coach in Duce Staley and two new veteran running backs in the group, Nyheim Hines and D’Onta Foreman. Jerome Ford, who became the lead back in Chubb’s absence last year, has been first in line through the first three weeks of spring practice and presumably will keep that spot until Chubb returns.
Hines is also trying to come back from a torn ACL, and Chubb said he and Hines have spent plenty of time together with the team’s medical staff. Staley said he’s welcomed Chubb’s presence and “leadership” this spring. Though Chubb has done all of his rehab inside the Browns’ facility, he wasn’t seen on the practice field by reporters until this week.
“Nick is a man of little words,” Staley said. “But when you get him in the classroom and around his teammates, he’s having fun. And that’s what we want.”
Required reading
- Browns slowly installing revamped offense under new coordinator Ken Dorsey
- Browns extend coach Kevin Stefanski, GM Andrew Berry
(Photo: Ron Schwane / AP)
Zac Jackson is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Cleveland Browns. He is also the host of the "A to Z" podcast alongside Andre Knott. Previously, Zac covered the Browns for Fox Sports Ohio and worked for Pro Football Talk. Follow Zac on Twitter @AkronJackson
