“There seems to be some sentiment for that happening if he’s activated this week, which means he’s expected to be ready to be on the 53 within the next three weeks,” Cabot stated on Saturday.
“Chubb looks ready to return to the field within the next three weeks. He has been making excellent progress behind the scenes.”
Against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2 of the previous season, Chubb sustained a serious knee injury. He underwent two separate surgeries to repair his MCL and ACL, missing the remainder of the season.
Regarding Chubb’s readiness to play again the following week, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski provided an ambiguous response.
“When we get to next week, we’ll see. He’s doing great, according to Stefanski.
Without Nick Chubb, the Browns are struggling to find an offense,throughout the team’s 1-2 start, the Browns’ offense has not been entertaining to watch. The Browns’ ground game has been erratic; as a team, they rank 24th in the NFL with an average of just 95.7 rushing yards per game. The majority of the work has been assigned to Jerome Ford and D’Onta Foreman, who have not yet established a reliable routine.
With 145 yards on 29 carries, Ford leads the charge, but Cleveland’s rushing attack is not doing well overall, averaging just 3.9 yards per carry—among the lowest in the league.
Chubb is among the best in the game when healthy. In 77 career games, all with the Browns, he has gained 6,511 yards and 48 touchdowns. He is gaining 5.3 yards per carry and 84.6 yards per game on average. With Chubb sitting on the sidelines, that consistency is lacking.
A line of thinking was that more designed runs for quarterback Deshaun Watson could help get the offense on track. However, Watson — who has struggled throwing the ball this season — is not interested.
“I’m not going in there to ask them for more designed runs. … If I don’t have to run, I’m not going to run,” Watson said Wednesday, Via ESPN. “I’m not trying to take any hits. … I’m not a running quarterback, in a sense. I can make things happen, but I’m not trying to run.
“I’m not a quarterback. I’m not an expert in it. I wasn’t signed to run, but to throw the ball, make decisions, and be a quarterback.
This season, Watson has been sacked 16 times, which is an NFL record. Although he hasn’t helped his cause by attempting to extend plays and holding onto the ball too long, his offensive line has played a significant role in that. This season, he has 14 touchdowns and 85 yards gained from running the ball. Before moving to Cleveland, Watson spent four seasons with the Houston Texans, rushing for 1,677 yards.
