A familiar face could be the final piece the Cleveland Browns are looking for in their backfield.
Nick Chubb is still unsigned after spending last season with the Houston Texans. He signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with Houston last spring after the Browns declined to bring him back. A return to Houston on a new contract appears very unlikely.
Injuries have kept Chubb from returning to the Pro Bowl form that once made him one of the NFL’s top running backs. In 2023, he suffered a devastating knee injury. He then broke his foot in Week 15 of the 2024 campaign.
Last season, Chubb logged 122 carries for 506 yards and three touchdowns with the Texans. He was initially projected as Joe Mixon’s backup but opened the season as the starter before rookie Woody Marks eventually claimed the lead role.
It was a far cry from Chubb’s dominant Cleveland run, where he posted 1,525 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in 2022 alone. During his Browns tenure, Chubb reeled off four straight 1,000-yard seasons.
Nick Chubb Can Be Viable Option for Browns
The idea of Chubb returning to Cleveland may be more than just a sentimental reunion. With little apparent interest around the league, the former Browns star remains available at what would likely be a team-friendly price.
The Browns don’t have a reliable third-down back. Chubb could be a well-rounded veteran option for the role. Jared Mueller of Dawgs by Nature pitched Chubb as one of five players the Browns could still sign.
“Even if Chubb is a ʻwashedʻ version of himself, Cleveland doesn’t have a third-down back they can trust in pass protection right now, unless FB Michael Burton is used,” Mueller said. “Chubb can still be helpful after a mediocre season, compared to his best, last year for the Houston Texans.”
Chubb, a four-time Pro Bowler spent the first seven seasons of his career in Cleveland after the Browns selected him in the second round in 2018 out of Georgia. His departure last offseason came with an emotional sendoff from owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam, who pointed toward an eventual spot in the franchise’s Ring of Honor.
Browns Expect Quinshon Judkins Back at Full Health
Browns bell cow Quinshon Judkins is expected to be a full go for training camp after recovering from a dislocated ankle and fractured fibula suffered in Week 16.
Judkins rushed for 827 yards and seven touchdowns over 14 games as a rookie. With a revamped offensive line and a new offensive-minded head coach in Todd Monken calling the shots, Judkins may have an opportunity to run wild in Year 2. Judkins is excited to get to work with Monken.
“It’s not what I thought it would have been — in a good way. Because my past coach [Kevin Stefanski], he was really even-keeled, super quiet. I thought I was going to get that from Coach Monken, but it wasn’t that. He was a real player’s coach,” Judkins said on the Downs 2 Business podcast in March. “Like, ‘Give me a hug,’ like all that. He was just super communicative of what he wanted from the team, what his goal is, what his objective is, what he wants to come in and do.”
Dylan Sampson gives Cleveland a reliable receiving option out of the backfield behind Judkins. Raheim Sanders and Ahmani Marshall are the other options on the depth chart for the Browns.
Former Browns Star Emerges as Intriguing Reunion Option