Browns keeping 'conservative' approach with Nick Chubb's injury, running back position
The Browns remain committed to having Nick Chubb back on the field. However, they also acknowledge a conservative approach to handling the situation. The Cleveland Browns are keeping a cautious approach to the running back position after Nick Chubb's injury, despite bringing in D'Onta Foreman and Nyheim Hines as potential replacements for Chubb. The Browns general manager, Andrew Berry, stated that the team is expecting Chubb to be fit and doing a "great job" with his recovery and recovery, and that it is too early to accurately predict his potential readiness for the upcoming season. Chubb had two major knee surgeries in September and November respectively, one on the medial collateral ligament (MCL), the medial capsule and meniscus, and the second on the anterior cruciate ligament. Berry remains silent on any contract related to Chubb, who is 28.
Published : 4 weeks ago by Chris Easterling in Sports
ORLANDO, FLA. — Andrew Berry has spoken a lot of words about running back Nick Chubb this offseason. The Browns general manager's actions, though, may speak even louder about what they feel about the four-time Pro Bowler and his future as he recovers from two major knee surgeries.
The first three weeks of free agency have come and gone, yet the Browns have been minimally active in the running back market. They did bring in two veterans, but Berry acknowledged neither D'Onta Foreman nor Nyheim Hines are in any way Chubb replacements.
If they're anything, Berry sees them as potentially supplements to whatever the Browns can get from Chubb whenever he can return to the field. The Browns also have Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr. who are each entering their third pro season.
"I wouldn't read too much into it, to be honest with you," Berry told a small group of beat writers, including the Beacon Journal, at the NFL owners meetings. "D'Onta, he really, I think, has a skillset that's probably pretty similar to how we used Kareem (Hunt) this past year. And then Nyheim was honestly really more for his return value and his pass game skillset. So I wouldn't read too much into that."
What Berry will allow you to read into is what has yet to happen with Chubb. Going into the offseason, the running back was at the center of discussions surrounding his contract, which was heading into its final year with no guaranteed money on the books but a $15.825 million cap hit.
Speculation by some that Chubb would be a cap casualty never seemed likely. However, that didn't mean there wasn't room for a restructure that took into account the fact he will be coming off the injury he suffered in Week 2 last season and doesn't have a firm return date with still months to go until training camp even begins.
Berry remains silent on anything contract related with regards to Chubb, who is 28. He did continue to reiterate what has been a constant offseason stance on his part.
"Maybe the easiest thing is we fully expect Nick to be here and he's doing a great job with his recovery and everything," Berry said. "And I meant what I said at the end of the season, I meant what I said at the combine. We do not want the injury in Pittsburgh to be his last snap as of Cleveland Brown."
Chubb had his first surgery, which repaired damage to the medial collateral ligament (MCL), the medial capsule and meniscus, on Sept. 29, 11 days after the initial injury. The second surgery, on Nov. 14, repaired the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which he had not previously torn.
The question, though, is when will the next snap of Chubb's Browns career occur. That remains the great mystery.
"Honestly, it is probably too early to really understand what he's going to look like," Berry said. "He's doing truly doing a fantastic job with the rehab and he should start to load run probably sometime this upcoming month."
At this point, Chubb's rehab is as much about strengthening the quad as anything else. However, it's not strenuous in the way of sprints or agility drills.
That will be where the rehab starts to turn in the next month. That's when Berry believe the process ramps up to a point where the Browns can reasonably start projecting out a timetable for return.
"I think that as we think about it, until we see him in the next couple months, I think the next — call it three — months will be pretty telling in terms of his potential readiness for early in the season," Berry said. "We are going to be conservative in terms of our approach in our assessment with building the roster because he is coming off of a major knee injury. But I do have to give him a lot of credit. He's done a really, really nice job.
"But I think we'll have a better sense. Don't hold me to it, but I think probably if you ask me that question around the draft, I may have maybe a little bit more of a specific answer."
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
Topics: Football, NFL, Cleveland Browns