Yes, the Cleveland Browns Should Bring Back Nick Chubb

Obviously, Chubb wasn’t implying that a return is imminent. In fact, adding a 30-year-old running back who has suffered a plethora of significant leg injuries would go against the grain of everything that general manager Andrew Berry has done this offseason.

But this is Nick Chubb we’re talking about.

And if you look at the numbers, he might have a little bit of juice left in the tank.

Last season with the Houston Texans was Chubb’s first away from the Browns. He appeared in 15 games, starting nine of them and had 122 rushing attempts for 506 yards and three touchdowns. That’s just over four yards per carry. To compare, Quinshon Judkins had 230 attempts during his rookie season and rushed for 827 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 starts.

At this stage, Judkins would very obviously remain the starter. But it’s not like Chubb is completely at the end of the road. 

What else would Chubb bring?

While roster churn is normal every season in the NFL, the Browns completely flipped their team, which was probably needed after winning only eight games over the last two seasons.

Last year’s team was old, expensive – and not very good.

This year’s team is much younger, will be a lot cheaper once Deshaun Watson is off the books – and might not be very good, either.

Cleveland’s roster got younger and way less experienced under a first-time head coach in Todd Monken and three inexperienced coordinators in Travis Switzer, Mike Rutenberg and Byron Storer. Chubb would be heading into his ninth season and could bring a calming, veteran presence in a long season. Games are won on the margins in the NFL. One mistake by a young player could be the difference in closing out a tight game.

And that’s exactly why a Chubb reunion makes a little bit of sense.

The longest tenured Browns player is Denzel Ward, who was drafted No. 4 overall in 2018. The longest tenured offensive player? Watson.

Chubb would bring some much-needed experience to a very young offense. He always led by example, which could be valuable to young players like Judkins and Dylan Sampson. Because of that young running back tandem, Chubb wouldn’t be asked to carry much of the workload, either. 

Cleveland’s offensive line was retooled this offseason and Switzer found success as the run game coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens where he helped revitalize the career of Derrick Henry. The Browns also added a young receiving duo to complement their run game by drafting KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston to pair with Jerry Jeudy.

If the defense can hold its form with Jared Verse instead of Myles Garrett, you can see a real world where the Browns could be a surprise team in Monken’s first season. 

Ward is the only player that was in Pittsburgh during the playoff win against the Steelers. Only nine players are left on Cleveland’s roster from the 2023 playoff run featuring Joe Flacco. In the unlikely event that the Browns could wildly overachieve, a little taste of playoff experience would never hurt.

Of course, it takes two to tango. And nothing about Berry’s offseason indicates that a reunion with Chubb is something they’d actually entertain. 

But it’s fun to dream.