How Long Can Browns Expect Nick Chubb Sidelined?

If any

Cleveland Browns

fans held out hope for

Nick Chubb

suiting up and returning to the backfield in September, they now need to reset their expectations and adjust their calendars. The injured star running back just isn’t ready to come back yet.

According to an ESPN report, the team is expected to leave Chubb on the reserve/physically unable to perform (PUP) list, rendering him inactive for at least the first four games of the regular season.

The news isn’t the least bit surprising, as the four-time Pro Bowler is still recovering from a gruesome season-ending left knee injury suffered in Week 2 of 2023 that required multiple surgeries.

Browns Missing the Production

Chubb suffered the injury in Week 2 against the Steelers

Earlier in the preseason, the Browns hinted at a patient rehab process with Chubb, as head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters that he didn’t want to get “too far ahead of himself” in discussions about that timeline. Chubb has also expressed thoughts on the plan, revealing that he’s taken a day-to-day approach with no firm return date set. Progress, nonetheless.

Despite how gruesome Chubb’s knee injury was—he underwent procedures to fix his MCL and ACL between late September and mid-November—the Browns are counting on him to play sometime in 2024. The only question is when, and considering that he’s yet to receive practice clearance, additional ramp-up time means he’ll likely miss more than four games.

When healthy, Chubb has been one of the league’s most efficient runners. The former second-round pick came four yards shy of rushing for 1,000 yards during his rookie campaign in 2018, and after recording a career-best 1,525 yards with 12 touchdowns in 2022, he joined NFL icon Jim Brown as the only players in team history to rush for 1,000 yards in four straight seasons. His 5.3 career yards per carry rank seventh all-time.

Cleveland restructured Chubb’s contract back in April, lowering his 2024 base salary of $11.7 million with opportunities to earn back money in incentives. The 28-year-old had carried a $4 million dead cap charge, per Spotrac, and releasing him in the offseason would’ve opened up roughly $11.8 million in cap space. Chubb is also eligible for free agency after this season.

Picking Up the Slack

Browns turning to familiar backup RBs

While the Browns wait for Chubb to build up strength and confidence in his surgically-repaired knee, they’ll once again rely on production from a committee of running backs that carried the load in 2023. The featured back will be

Jerome Ford

, who finished last season with a laudable 1,132 scrimmage yards and nine touchdowns from scrimmage.

Cleveland’s latest depth chart lists backups Pierre Strong and D’Onta Foreman, who combined for 400 rushing yards and 10 total scores last season. Chubb’s extended absence didn’t crush the Browns’ playoff hopes, ironically, as they finished second in the AFC North race and clinched a Wild Card spot with an 11-6 record.

The backfield committee averaged 118.6 rushing yards in 2023, which ranked 12th-best in the NFL, and fantasy managers should be looking at Ford as a late-round sleeper candidate that could potentially receive legitimate RB1 volume. The Browns are now familiar with his skill set, and his 10.6-percent target share in 2023 isn’t something to ignore.

Still, the Browns will face an uphill climb without Chubb in a loaded conference. According to FanDuel and DraftKings, they have the third-best AFC North odds to capture their first division title in over three decades, and it’s also worth mentioning that they haven’t reached the playoffs in back-to-back seasons since 1988-1989.

Sources: ESPN/Cleveland Browns/92.3 The Fan Cleveland

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference and Spotrac unless stated otherwise.