Reports surfaced in recent days that the Houston Texans are on the verge of signing former Cleveland Browns star running back Nick Chubb to a 1-year deal to serve as Joe Mixon’s backup.
Many Browns fans were pushing for the team to re-sign Chubb, but the front office opted to set him free this offseason, and one insider believes it’s for good reason since one rookie is capable of filling his role.
ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi said on air Monday morning that second-round pick Quinshon Judkins is capable of making the loss of Chubb much less painful.
“I do. I like [Quinshon] Judkins a lot,” Grossi answered when asked if Judkins can fill Chubb’s role for the Browns. “I think Andrew [Berry] has done a good job of preparing for this and actually paving the way for him. All draft season, I was hammering they better get running backs, then they got two of them.”
"I do, I like Judkins a lot," – @TonyGrossi on if he thinks Quinshon Judkins can fill Nick Chubb's role at RB going forward.
Do you agree? pic.twitter.com/sGtEjRWJ6N
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) June 9, 2025
The other running back Grossi was referring to was fourth-round pick Dylan Sampson out of Tennessee, who actually profiles as a Chubb replacement even more closely than Judkins, as Sampson was more of a between-the-tackles bellcow type of back at Tennessee, while Judkins was in a timeshare with TreVeyon Henderson at Ohio State and is often used in a complementary way.
It shouldn’t fall on either rookie to replace Chubb, as both of them are likely to play a vital role in this offense right out of the gate.
Cleveland had the worst offense in the NFL in 2024, so it’s valid if the front office feels as if they needed to wipe the slate clean across the board.
Longing to bring Chubb back was mostly sentimental anyway, as he averaged a career-low 3.3 yards per carry last season and deserves the right to play for a contender at this point in his career.
NEXT: Browns Announce 2 Roster Moves
