It’s official that Nick Chubb will be returning to practice. The Browns have officially announced that the seasoned player will begin working out with his teammates today.
This is a long time coming for Chubb, who underwent two knee surgeries following a severe injury sustained in Week 2 of last season. Additionally, the Browns will have Nyheim Hines and offensive lineman Micheal Dunn back at practice. All three players, although they were on three different lists, each have 21-day return windows. Not being activated in that span would cause them to miss the rest of the season.
Chubb resided on Cleveland’s reserve/PUP list; he does not count against the team’s in-season activation total. By virtue of being designated for return (from the reserve/non-football injury list and reserve/non-football illness list, respectively), Hines and Dunn already count toward the Browns’ eight-activation number. Cleveland has six injury activations remaining as we hit IR- and NFI-activation season.
Despite avoiding completely rupturing his ACL, Chubb sustained further harm as a result of the Pittsburgh episode. This year-plus comeback timeframe is a result of Chubb’s injuries, which included tearing his meniscus and medial capsule. He is 28 years old. Although it is to be expected that the seventh-year veteran will not make his debut right away, his return to practice for the Browns is encouraging for his availability this season. It seems natural that, after being permitted to practice, the Browns would want to see him increase his workload; the PUP-return window permits that.
Hines, who has been out since sustaining an ACL tear in a bizarre jet ski accident in the summer of 2023, has also been waiting a long time for this. In July 2023, Hines was stationary when he was struck by another jet ski. He was placed on the Bills’ reserve/NFI list for the entirety of the previous season, and this summer, Buffalo cut him due to a non-football ailment. The former Colts return guy and passing-down back was subsequently signed by the Browns, who postponed his return by using the NFI stash.
Jerome Ford will be Cleveland’s starting running back for the foreseeable future. Ford, the main replacement for Chubb for the Browns last season, is averaging 5.2 yards per rush. On the ground, though, the Browns are ranked 26th as a team. Gary Brightwell, Pierre Strong, and D’Onta Foreman make up their 53-man roster, but more players are on the way, which should upend Cleveland’s backfield hierarchy.
This summer, Chubb and the Browns hammered out a revised deal that also included a wage reduction. The four-time 1,000-yard rusher is eligible for free agency in 2025. Chubb was motivated by the RB market’s resurgence throughout the offseason. To fetch a big third deal, however, Chubb will need to show glimpses of his pre-injury form. In the absence of a reliable ball-carrier, Deshaun Watson has been Cleveland’s starting quarterback for the majority of the season. The Browns are hoping that Chubb can improve Watson.
Hines was transferred to the Bills prior to the 2022 deadline, having previously been a Colts extension recipient. In Buffalo’s final regular-season game of that year, he returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. He also had two seasons of 400 yards receiving in addition to two punt-return touchdowns.
