Ranking the 15 Best Browns Players Heading into the 2023 Season
3. Nick Chubb
Nick Chubb has been one of the most consistent rushers in the NFL since entering the league in 2018, but he somehow never seems to get the respect he deserves.
In five seasons he’s never rushed for fewer than 8 touchdowns and has never had fewer than 1,100 yards from scrimmage.
If we just look at the last four years, since he didn’t get the starting job right away as a rookie, he’s averaged 1,500 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns in a shade under 15 games per season. He’s also averaged 5.3 rushing yards per attempt in that stretch — a ridiculous feat over a 1,000-carry sample.
In fact, there are only three running backs in NFL history with at least 1,000 rushes and an average of at least 5.2 yards per carry: Chubb (5.2), Jim Brown (5.2) and Jamaal Charles (5.4).
And yet somehow Chubb has never been a first-team All-Pro.
If the Browns offense is firing on all cylinders in 2023 it should open up even more rushing room than usual for Chubb, and this could finally be the season he gets the full recognition he desrves.
How good would Chubb be behind a mediocre o-line? I don't know, but I'm certainly not too worried about the fact that we don't need to learn what the answer is.
Regardless, Chubb is an absolute elite running back in his own right, and you can't fault the guy for getting to run behind some incredible blockers.
2. Joel Bitonio
When four of the top 10 players on a roster are offensive linemen, it's a pretty good honor to be the best in the bunch. And that's what Joel Bitonio has achieved.
Bitonio very much did not have a down year in 2022, grading out as PFF’s No. 2 guard in the NFL (87.5). That marked his second straight season ranking No. 2, and before that he ranked No. 6 in 2020.
He consistently grades out terrifically in both run and pass blocking, and he’s consistently the best player on the Browns line.
Consistency is also the key word for Bitonio.
He’s been a Pro Bowler in each of the last five seasons, also earning second-team All-Pro honours in 2018, 2019 and 2020 before taking the leap to first-team All-Pro in 2021 and 2022.
Barring injury, all signs point to the 31-year-old Bitonio retaining his status as one of the best guards in the entire NFL in 2023.