Browns General Manager Andrew Berry’s press conference on Thursday included updates on a pair of prominent offensive players coming off of injury.
Berry said the team expects quarterback Deshaun Watson back for the start of the season after his right shoulder injury, but he was less willing to put any kind of a timeline together for running back Nick Chubb. Chubb tore knee ligaments in Week Two last season and required multiple surgeries before starting a rehab process that Berry said is progressing well as the season draws closer.
“He’s really attacked it very aggressively, really since he’s been able to in the fall,” Berry said, via Spencer German of SI.com. “He’s going at a good pace. It’s still early. He actually started running on land this past week. That’s not to say that he’s through the woods or anything, but he’s doing everything in his power. He’s progressing appropriately, but certainly the next few weeks, next few months will be big as we continue to increase the load that he’s able to put on his knee, and then how much he’s ultimately able to do during his training.”
Chubb agreed to cut his base salary in order to avoid a possible release this offseason and he has a chance to make up the balance with incentives. The way he responds to that increased load on his knee will help determine whether he’ll have a chance to accomplish that.
