Browns running back Nick Chubb returned to practice on Wednesday and plans to be on the field on gameday when he’s ready.
In his one-step-a-time progression following reconstructive knee surgery, Chubb required a helmet on Wednesday for the first time in 12 months. He checks off another step Thursday when he dons full pads and gets to run through a tackle attempt for the first time since Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick’s legal, but low, hit sent him down this rehab path.
The timing of his next move is anyone’s guess.
“I guess we’ll all find out at the same time,” Chubb said Thursday of when he might be cleared to play in a game. “I’ve practiced one day. I have no idea. Today I get the pads on.”
Mental hurdles are largely behind him, said Chubb, who is returning from multiple torn ligaments and two surgeries on his left knee. He attacked rehab from the injury that took him out in Week 2 of last season. Not long after, Chubb was conducting self-charted two-a-day training sessions that both shocked and thrilled Cleveland’s front office.
Chubb said he’ll need to make sure he’s where he needs to be before returning for his first game since Sept. 23, 2023.
“They told me take however long I need to. Whenever I feel great, I’ll be out there,” Chubb said.
At practice on Wednesday, Chubb said he felt great energy and teammates shared a similar sentiment. The spike in joy for the franchise is welcome after a 1-3 start has the Browns scrambling to stay in contention in the AFC North.
Chubb said he’s in a third different running back room and noticed the growth of former backup Jerome Ford, who is the team’s rushing leader for the second consecutive season.
“He’s come a very long way,” Chubb said.
Because Chubb survived a major knee injury at Georgia, he understands that others will have concerns about his risk of re-injury. He claimed Thursday there is no similar thought between his ears.
“Once you get out there and you’re running around, it’s like you’re 8 years old again. It’s like riding a bike. (Injury risk) is not something in my head,” Chubb said. “It didn’t feel real. It felt like a dream. It felt great to get all of that off my shoulders and get back out there.”
Chubb, 28, is a four-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time 1,000-yard rusher. The 2018 second-round pick ranks fourth in franchise history with 6,511 career rushing yards.
