Nick Chubb Prepared To Make Long-Awaited Return To Browns In Week 7

Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb is in line to make his return to NFL action this week after more than a year out of action. The four-time Pro-Bowler wrote about his injury and recovery in an article for the Players’ Tribune Wednesday.

“When you get hurt like I got hurt, the weird thing is that you don’t even really feel anything,” Chubb wrote. “But you hear everything. You hear that weird silence in the crowd. You can sense your teammates kind of gathering around you.”

In Week 2 of the 2023 season, Chubb suffered a torn MCL and damaged ACL in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a devastating injury to the same knee he had surgically repaired in 2015 as a Georgia Bulldog. It could have ended his career. 

In his Players’ Tribune piece, the running back claimed that he thought he would never play in the NFL again. He talked about support from his family, as well as excruciating bouts of physical therapy and training. He admitted to having dark days, though he didn’t go into detail. At the end, he said that the city of Cleveland and his team were the last sources of motivation he needed.

“I’ve tried to work my ass off every day to get us where we need to go, and even though we have gotten close, I feel like I have serious unfinished business,” Chubb wrote. “I can’t stop until I prove to everybody that I’m the undisputed best running back in this league, and I definitely can’t stop until we get the Browns back to the top of the AFC. It’s been too damn long.”

After more than a year, Chubb is expected to return for the Browns in Week 7 against the Bengals. The 28-year-old back may or may not deal with a full workload, if he plays at all, but that’s not the point. In front of a home crowd Sunday, Chubb will finally be able to compete again in front of Cleveland fans, who have loved him since his earliest days with the franchise. If it comes to fruition, it could be one of the most meaningful moments of the season, an opportunity for a fanbase to welcome a beloved player home.