The Cleveland Browns had an obvious need at running back heading into the 2025 NFL Draft with Nick Chubb as a free agent, and they filled the void by selecting both Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson.
They come from big-time programs and are used to dealing with a high volume of carries and likely will have a major role right away given the lack of depth the Browns had at the position.
Though many fans were still holding out hope for Chubb to return, it’s unlikely after a veteran Jerome Ford recently accepted a pay cut, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
“Nick Chubb will likely have to find a new home now that fellow running back Jerome Ford has accepted a paycut. He took the cut on Friday, reducing his salary from $3.486 million to a guaranteed $1.75 million, a league source told cleveland.com. If he had refused to paycut or if the Browns traded Ford, Chubb may have been re-signed,” Cabot wrote.
There would be little need for Chubb with the two rookies and Ford, as well as Pierre Strong.
Chubb looked like a shell of his former self last season and hasn’t generated much interest as a free agent, so fans started to wonder if a reunion was possible with a need at running back.
That need is gone with Judkins from Ohio State and Sampson from Tennessee in the fold, and it will be interesting to see if either of them is able to fill Chubb’s shoes.
It’s a shame Chubb likely won’t be back, but it’s time for this franchise to move forward without him.
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