The last time Browns running back Nick Chubb stepped on a field to play a football game was Week 2 of the 2023 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
One of Cleveland’s fan-favorite athletes has rehabbed his knee since last November’s surgery, and his and the team’s reluctance to identify a timetable to return for the 2024 regular season had analysts and fans alike hopeful Chubb could return for the season opener.
That’s not in the cards for Chubb, however.
Analyst Camry Justice revealed on Twitter today that Chubb is “expected to start the season with RB Nick Chubb on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.”
The #Browns are expected to start the season with RB Nick Chubb on the Physically Unable to Perform list, source confirms. He will not be active during the first four games of the season, which is not a big surprise. Chubb is still excelling through his knee rehab.
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) August 26, 2024
Chubb’s status means that he will miss at least the first four games of the season, something Justice explained was “not a big surprise” given the severity of his knee surgery.
Justice added “Chubb is still excelling through his knee rehab,” a positive sign considering the 28-year-old has suffered a similar injury to the same knee while at Georgia.
In 2023, however, Chubb had to have repairs to both his ACL and MCL, and the rehab process has been much longer than his previous experience while in college.
Chubb will be entering his seventh year in the NFL this season, and the veteran has amassed over 6,500 rushing yards and 48 touchdowns since arriving in Cleveland in 2018.
Jerome Ford and D’Onta Foreman are expected to shoulder the offensive workload without Chubb in the lineup.
Ford was Chubb’s replacement for much of last year, and both he and Foreman are capable pass-catching backs for the team’s new offensive scheme.
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