Nick

Chubb

“Obviously, he’s a popular player in the locker room and with the fan base, but the Browns will have to determine what they think Chubb has left as a player — and he will have to determine where he feels the Browns are headed and how he might fit in that plan,” Jackson adds. Chubb enters free agency at 29 this offseason. The Browns are an intriguing landing spot for a drafted running back if Chubb leaves. Jerome Ford will enter the final year of his rookie deal in 2025.

The 2024 season is over for Chubb, who returned in late October from a horrific 2023 knee injury and struggled mightily to rediscover his previous form. Chubb managed 332 yards and three rushing scores over eight games, averaging a bleak 3.2 yards per carry. Chubb ranked 39th out of 50 qualifying RBs in Pro Football Focus’ elusive rating and was in the bottom-10 in rush yards over expected. He’ll spend another offseason recovering from a season-ending injury. Chubb, who will be 29 in two weeks, will be an unrestricted free agent this spring and should get interest from teams looking to make the veteran a part of a timeshare backfield.

“I can’t tell you how much I respect him as a person,” Stefanski said, “really really disappointed about this injury.” Jerome Ford took over and scored a 62-yard TD quickly after Chubb departed. He’ll be leading the backfield going forward and it seems inevitable that Chubb will be placed on injured reserve with only three weeks remaining in the season. Chubb started eight games and finished with 102 carries for 332 yards and three scores while remaining a non-factor in the passing game. Chubb will be a free agent in 2025 and is no lock to be back with the Browns.

Chubb was briefly labeled questionable in the third quarter before quickly being downgraded to out. That’s never a good sign. Chubb had a little more pop than recent weeks, but still had a modest nine carries for 41 scoreless yards before going down. Jerome Ford housed a 62-yard rushing score moments after Chubb departed. We would like to say Chubb is droppable, but if he can get cleared for Week 16, it would be for a tissue-soft matchup with the Bengals. Stay tuned.

It was another tough day on the ground for Chubb, whose per-carry totals received a generous boost thanks to a 19-yard run in the third quarter. On one hand, Chubb faced a stout Steelers defense. On the other hand, there’s no getting around the fact that Chubb is a far cry from the player he was pre-knee injury. He’ll be tough to trust in Week 15 against the Chiefs, and shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a volume-based RB3.

Chubb was used sparingly in this one as quarterback Jameis Winston attempted a gaudy 58 passes on his way to a career night. A second half touchdown saved what would have otherwise been a quiet outing for the bruising back, who gave way to the more dynamic pass-catching specialist Jerome Ford at an increased rate due to the matchup and game environment. Chubb could find the sledding difficult once more when the Browns travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers in Week 14.

The two scores — which each came from two yards out — more than doubled Chubb’s season total, but he finished below 60 yards rushing for the fifth time in as many tries. Chubb has averaged more than 3.3 yards per carry only once since returning from his knee woes. Tonight was a slopped-up snowfest in Cleveland, but Chubb looked like he would have been lumbering even in pristine conditions. The Browns probably needed to get backup Jerome Ford more involved, but he handled only five touches. The good news is that Chubb now has 11 days to reset and collect himself and see where he’s at in his comeback. His (hopefully) fresher legs will be needed against the Broncos’ strong pass defense on Week 13 Monday Night Football.

Chubb has played just 35 and 30 percent of the snaps the last two weeks against the Chargers and Saints. It’s likely that the Chargers fade was game-script influenced after the Chargers took an early 20-3 lead. But Chubb is by no means a must-start on TNF against the Steelers, even with this proclamation saying he might play more in Week 12.

Chubb did not see a target on 46 Cleveland pass attempts. Coming off his 2023 knee injury, Chubb does not appear to be his pre-injury self, lacking any burst or tackle breaking ability. His lack of pass game involvement will continue making Chubb a game script-sensitive, touchdown-reliant fantasy option. He now has 139 rush yards in three games this season. Chubb won’t be fantasy viable in Week 12 against the Steelers.

Foreman is once again a healthy scratch. That leaves Nick Chubb as the Browns’ lead back, with Jerome Ford chipping in on passing down duties. Chubb has struggled in his first couple games back from his 2023 knee injury but has a nice matchup Sunday against a struggling Saints front seven.