Nick Chubb Is Done, So What’s Next For Cleveland?
Photo Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports
It’s time for the Cleveland Browns to adjust.
Powerhouse running back Nick Chubb, the centerpiece of Cleveland’s offense for the past several years, is now done for the season — possibly longer — after undergoing knee surgery earlier this week.
It’s a devastating loss, the kind that can cripple an offense and agonize a fanbase, especially after Chubb had rushed for over 1,000 yards and tallied eight or more touchdowns in four of his first five seasons in the league.
Over those five years, the former Georgia Bulldog produced consistently whenever the Browns needed him. The four-time Pro Bowler could hurt opposing defenses both physically between the tackles and utilize his speed to break to the outside and pick up big chunks of yards.
In an offense featuring quarterback Deshaun Watson and several other weapons, Chubb was on track to take an even more significant step this season. The pressure to produce wasn’t going to fall squarely on him. The Browns have an arsenal of athletes that can devastate opponents. While Watson has looked rough in his first two outings of 2023, passing for 389 yards and two touchdowns to go along with two interceptions, the potential to have a high-scoring offense is there. But Chubb was a big part of that potential.
Outside of running back Jerome Ford, Chubb was going to be the guy in the backfield this season. He split Week 1 carries with Ford 18 to 15 and outgained him 106 to 36 in rushing yards. Chubb displayed his ability to carry the load last year when the Browns went with Jacoby Brissett during Watson’s suspension, and it was even more apparent that they would do the same this year.
There’s no sugarcoating it: Chubb’s injury is a ginormous loss for the Cleveland Browns.
So where does it leave them?
It starts with Ford and a familiar face in Kareem Hunt, who re-signed with the Browns on Wednesday after remaining a free agent through the first two weeks of the season. Hunt brings a sense of familiarity to the backfield but, despite that familiarity, Kevin Stefanksi made it known that Hunt would be backing up Ford.
Now it’s time for the two to work in tandem. Hunt can be the veteran voice. The one who’s been around the league, has played in numerous situations and has aspirations to bring a Super Bowl back to his hometown team. According to Stefanski, that will be a huge advantage moving forward.
“It’s a big deal,” Stefanski said of Hunt’s familiarity with the team and the offense during Wednesday’s press conference. “When you add players that are free agents, oftentimes you have to ramp them up and get them ready to play. And we have done that. You can do that in this case. There’s obviously some newness that Kareem is learning but he can pick up things very quickly.”
Then there’s Ford, the former Cincinnati Bearcat. Despite being in just his second year, he has to be the spark plug for the offense. He showcased that ability on Monday against the Pittsburgh Steelers when he snapped off a 69-yard run that set up Pierre Strong’s one-yard touchdown. He’s also shown the ability to beat teams in a number of different ways, catching three passes for 25 yards and a touchdown in the first two weeks of the season.
If Hunt and Ford can stabilize the backfield as a tandem, it will do a lot for the Browns’ offense moving into the rest of the season, especially if they are going to make a run into the postseason.
The brunt of the pressure moving forward though is going to fall on Watson’s shoulders. He’s the proven commodity who is a three-time Pro Bowler and led the league in passing yards in 2020. Browns general manager Andrew Berry and owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam traded for him and signed him to a massive contract for a reason and this is the exact type of situation that he should step up in.
Heading into the 2023 season, Stefanski said the team was tweaking the offense or order to align with Watson’s strengths. The organization also brought in offensive threats like Elijah Moore and Marquise Goodwin to spread defenses out, which would in turn open up the running game. Now, without Chubb in the backfield, Watson needs to take command of the offense and feed the ball to Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones and David Njoku, along with Moore and Goodwin.
Losing a running back of Chubb’s caliber is a hit that not many offenses in the NFL can take, but coming into this year the Browns were a balanced offense with a strong defense. They’ll have to lean on the arm — and the legs — of Watson along with the flurry of talent that surrounds him in order to make a push through the regular season and into the playoffs.
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