For years, Nick Chubb and Myles Garrett were the best players for the Cleveland Browns.
Now, only Garrett is under contract.
Chubb is set to become a free agent, so he may have already played his final snap with the team.
At least, that’s how NFL analyst Tyler Brooke feels.
In his latest column for The 33rd Team, he predicted that the Browns would have a tough time keeping their star running back around for much longer because of the salary cap:
“Chubb will be hitting free agency this year, and while he likely won’t have a hot market for his services this offseason, the Browns will have trouble keeping their veteran running back around, given their cap constraints with Deshaun Watson still under contract,” Brooke said.
Some had already speculated about this.
It sounded as if Chubb was bidding farewell at the end of the season.
Chubb clearly wasn’t the same player this season.
He was coming off the second major knee injury of his career and had a tough time getting his legs back under him.
He’s not getting any younger, and given how quickly running backs tend to fall off a cliff, the Browns could and should be cautious about overpaying for his services, especially with a draft class that will be stacked at the position.
Needless to say, that doesn’t mean it will be easy for the Browns or the fans to part ways with one of their best and favorite players.
Chubb single-handedly led the offense for years and established himself as one of the prime tackle-breakers in the league.
Whether he’ll ever return to that form remains to be seen.
However, even if it happens, it might not happen in Cleveland.
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