Where is Nick Chubb? Browns RB has no timetable for return after devastating knee injury

The Browns will begin the 2024 season the same way they played most of the 2023 season – without star running back Nick Chubb.

Chubb suffered a horrific and devastating knee injury during Cleveland’s game against the Steelers in Week 2. He seemed poised for another dominant season after rushing for over 100 yards in the opening game, but his year was quickly derailed.

Chubb is out for the remainder of the 2023 season with a torn ACL. He underwent two separate knee surgeries during the offseason to repair his medial capsule, medial collateral ligament, anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus.

Miraculously, Chubb is expected to return sometime in the 2024 season. Here’s what we know about when he could rejoin the Browns.

When will Nick Chubb return to the Browns?

The Browns placed Chubb on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list to begin the season, meaning he will have to miss at least the first four games, but he is expected to need more than the first four weeks to be on the field.

There is no timetable for Chubb’s return, but Cleveland expects him to play at some point this season.

The star running back appears to be getting back into shape. On July 15, the Browns posted a video of Chubb squatting over 600 pounds.

He gave his own update on his injury after being placed on the PUP list earlier in the season.

“I feel good,” Chubb told the media. “Every day I come to practice, I’m moving and I feel a lot better.”

This isn’t a very meaningful update, but it’s still an encouraging one for a player who suffered a serious knee injury less than a year ago.

It will be worth monitoring Chubb’s status closer to Week 5, when he can be activated from the PUP list.

Browns RB Depth Chart

2023 interim starter Jerome Ford will take over RB1 duties until Chubb returns.

Ford was a diamond in the rough for the Browns last season. The 2022 fifth-round pick from Cincinnati ran for 813 yards and four touchdowns. He also had 319 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns on 44 receptions.

He has done an excellent job of relieving Chubb and will continue to hold that role at the start of the 2024 season. It is safe to assume that Pierre Strong Jr. and D’Onta Foreman will compete for the backup positions.

The Browns’ official roster can be found below.