Injuries are an awful reality of the game of football, and Monday night we got another somber reminder of that fact. Cleveland Browns star running back Nick Chubb looks to be lost for the season after he suffered a gruesome leg injury early in their contest versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. Chubb would be carted off the field — it served as a tough moment for all of the NFL as Chubb is universally liked and respected.
The knee injury Chubb sustained last night is to the same knee that he injured in a severe way in 2015 when he played at the University of Georgia.
While the move to put Chubb on season-ending injured reserve has not been announced yet, the sentiment is that it is a formality at this time. The Browns are now looking to move forward in 2023 without having their star running back in their plans.
Without Chubb on the field, things change quite a bit for the Browns’ rushing attack. Let’s take a closer look at some of the names that will be stepping up in his absence for the team.
Cleveland Browns’ Running Back Room Without Chubb
The first running back off the bench looking to spell Chubb is second-year running back Jerome Ford. Ford was drafted by the Browns in the fifth round of last year’s NFL Draft. For the time being, Ford looks to be the lead man to take on Chubb’s workload.
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So far this season, Ford has seen 31 carries for 142 yards, good for 4.6 yards a touch, with most of that production (16 carries for 106 yards) coming last night in relief of Chubb.
He may not be Chubb talent-wise, but the Browns feel good about Ford, and last night’s performance may have done wonders for the confidence in the running game.
The next man up after Ford looks to be Pierre Strong Jr., who the Browns acquired via trade from the New England Patriots prior to Week 1. Strong has not seen much work thus far this season, with his only work coming on two carries last night for one yard (albeit one of them was for a touchdown). However, his workload will surely increase now with Chubb not in the fold.
Will the Browns Sign a Free Agent Running Back?
The third and final running back on the Browns’ roster is practice squad running back, Hassan Hall. Hall is a rookie out of Georgia Tech and has not seen any action so far through two games.
It will be interesting to see if the Browns choose to elevate Hall from the practice squad to the 53-man roster moving forward or if they will look to outsource for that third addition to the room. Some interesting free agent names are available, like old friend Kareem Hunt.