Nick Chubb Publicly Reveals Details of His Injury for the First Time

Browns fans (and fantasy football players with Nick Chubb rostered) were dealt a brutal blow when Cleveland’s star running back severely hurt his knee on September 18th of last year against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It’s hard to imagine how much worse Chubb himself felt about the injury, but he shed some light on it this week. And although he declined to reveal his plans on a targeted return date, that could mean it's sooner than some might expect.

“The team did a great job of being there for me,” Chubb told reporters on Wednesday. “I was down mentally for a while. When you get hurt, it’s one thing. When you get hurt again, and you already know what you have to go through with the entire process of surgery and rehab, it’s a non-stop battle every day.”

The fact that Chubb is talking about this injury in the past tense can give fans hope that this is behind him and we still have some greatness left to witness this fall.

Browns News: Nick Chubb Still Unsure of Return Date

Though it’s comforting to see that Chubb has recovered enough to talk about his mental state during his injury, there are still steps to be made in his recovery.

He told reporters that he “likes where he’s at” and he’s “where (he) needs to be,” but also added that he doesn’t have a return date targeted for this upcoming season just yet. 

But that’s probably for the best.

Chubb has a sizable injury history now, dating back to his time as a Georgia Bulldog when he tore the PCL, MCL and LCL in his left knee and dislocated his knee in October of 2015. 

He’s since suffered: an MCL sprain (October 2020), a left calf strain (October 2021), a rib injury (January 2022) and a tear of his meniscus, MCL and ACL (September 2023). 

That’s a worrisome injury history for a player who relies on his legs and is creeping up in age at 28 years old, and he only returned to running on land two months ago.

Relying on Chubb returning early shouldn’t be a problem for Cleveland. The Browns finished the regular season on a 10-5 run after his injury and wound up making the playoffs.

This season, they’ll have a strong stable of backs to go to if he can’t play by Week 1. Jerome Ford, D’Onta Foreman, and Nyheim Hines are all talented players who have proven themselves at the NFL level. 

But there is some good reason for optimism that Chubb can return early enough and play at a high level. 

Chubb is currently listed at +1500 odds to win Comeback Player of the Year, only behind five players – Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, Kirk Cousins, Anthony Richardson, and Russell Wilson – at DraftKings Sportsbook. 

And he is clearly betting on himself to bounce back. Chubb reworked his contract in April to take a lower base salary but added the ability to earn money back in incentives. And why would he agree to an incentive-laden deal if he didn't plan on playing well this fall?

If we've learned one thing about Chubb, it's that we shouldn't doubt him beating the odds.

Don't be surprised if you see him on the field as soon as Week 1.

More Cleveland Browns Team News:

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change