Kareem Hunt didn’t need a ton of words to describe his new backfield partner with the Cleveland Browns, Nick Chubb.
Instead, Hunt just kept it simple while talking about the second-year Georgia product after training camp practice on Monday.
“Chubb is a beast. He’s a freak. The guy runs hard and I respect his game a bunch. I love the way he runs the football.”
Hunt was handed an eight-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, but should be a key contributor down the stretch as the Browns look to break a 16-season playoff drought.
“I feel like it will definitely be something special. It already is something special,” Hunt said. “We are a good tandem.”
Chubb also spoke on the partnership and what he’s seen so far.
“It’s going to be scary. Kareem does a lot of great things,” Chubb said. “He’s a big playmaker. He makes explosive plays, he’s very athletic. Catching the ball too. It’s going to be fun to play with him.
Hunt has racked up 2,151 rushing yards, 833 receiving yards in his first two seasons. He made the Pro Bowl in 2017 as the league’s leading rusher and was on pace for another strong season before being let go by the Chiefs last season.
Chubb started nine games last season, rushing for 996 total yards. He would have eclipsed the much sought after 1,000-yard mark, but had his final carry of his rookie season go for a five-yard loss, knocking him back into the triple digits.
Kareem Hunt Returns From Injury at Browns Training Camp
After missing the first eight practices with a groin injury, Hunt was on the field for the Orange and Brown scrimmage this weekend.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Hunt had landed on the non-football injury list with a groin injury suffered while working out between minicamp and training camp.
The Browns were ravaged by injury at the RB position in training camp, with Duke Johnson nursing a hamstring and rookie Trayone Gray also on the active/non-football injury list. It’s been Nick Chubb, Dontrell Hilliard and D’Ernest Johnson carrying the load so far, and the team signed undrafted free agent A.J. Ouellette for some relief.
Browns Supporting Kareem Hunt on Road to Redemption
After a disturbing video of Hunt kicking and shoving a woman in a Cleveland hotel was released, the Pro Bowl back was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs.
While Hunt hasn’t been in any trouble since, there was a late-night incident involving the running back that was caught on video, causing a stir within the organization.
On July 1, TMZ released a video Hunt speaking with police following an alleged incident at a Cleveland bar. A Cleveland police spokeswoman told Heavy there was not a police report following what was initially rumored to be a bar fight, and it was later revealed to be just a “small argument” with one of his friends.
“We understood what the facts were,” Dorsey said at his opening training camp press conference. “He understands there’s no guarantees in life. He’s working his fanny off on the field and off-the-field as well.”
Kitchens showed a bit of sympathy for his running back, knowing nothing is easy for high-profile players in the public eye in this day and age of technology.
“It’s never been harder to be a player in the National Football League,” Kitchens said. “Everything they do is under a microscope and with the advancements of social media and all that kind of stuff, every little thing — doesn’t matter how little or how small — it’s always going to made into a bigger deal. Kareem is always going to have our support. We are going to continue to support him just like we do every player we have. I’ll reiterate that we want them to be a better person 50 years from now and still be able to sustain and be successful in life instead of just worrying about right now.”
Browns owner Dee Haslam has said while they’re happy to have Hunt, there’s still a long way to go.
“It’s up to him. It truly is up to him. We have high expectations for our players,” she said. “You have to take the situation very, very, very seriously. We spent a lot of time and John (Dorsey) spent a lot of time with Kareem. We felt like he has potential as a person, which is obviously as important as a player. He needs to continue to work really hard to be a member of our organization.”
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Browns RB Kareem Hunt: Nick Chubb is a ‘Freak’