Nick Chubb has endeared himself to the Dawg Pound with his hard work and no-nonsense approach to the game. A second-round pick out of Georgia in 2018, Chubb is already fourth in Cleveland Browns history with 6,511 yards and can climb higher this year.

He needs just 29 yards to tie Mike Pruitt for third and 763 to catch Leroy Kelly for second place. He would have accomplished this in 2023 had he stayed healthy but a torn ACL and MCL put him on the shelf in Week 2.

With eyes on a 2024 return, Chubb has been working hard to get back on the field. By all accounts, he’s ahead of schedule but that’s not good enough for him as Chubb said he feels like he’s behind when compared to previous seasons.

“It’s different now because I feel like I’m behind. Usually I’m healthy and I’m working to get faster and stronger. Now I’m just trying to catch up to get to the person I once was.”

– Chubb via JOC.Films
That feeling is understandable for someone like Chubb. Known as a player who puts everything he has into the game, Chubb is used to being on the field with his team for training camp. Knowing he can’t be out there practicing has to be frustrating for him. That’s probably why he still showed up to mandatory minicamp even though he couldn’t practice. Just being there with his team likely gave him a sense of normalcy.

The Browns know how valuable Chubb is to their offense. That’s why they signed D’Onta Foreman and Nyheim Hines this offseason. Adding two veteran running backs will keep the offense moving allowing Chubb to take his time in recovery, hopefully preventing him from feeling like he has to push himself out of necessity.

The goal is to have him back at 100 percent for the final stretch — December and January football means much more than September football. It won’t be easy for Chubb, who is used to pushing himself, but taking his time is the right move. Even though it has to be frustrating.