Nick Chubb Injury: Browns RB Options With Pro Bowler Likely Out for Season

The Cleveland Browns lost more than just a game during their 26-22 Monday Night Football defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Four-time Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb, the focal point of Cleveland's offense and perhaps the team's best player, suffered a gruesome knee injury during the game. Chubb's injury is expected to be season-ending, head coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game.

"Nick's got a very significant knee injury," Stefanski said in his postgame press conference. "He's a great football player as we know, but he's an even better person, so we will support him every step along the way."

Cleveland will be without a player that has rushed for 1,000 or more yards in each of the past four seasons. Where do the Browns go from here? And what's the latest on Chubb's injury?

Here's what we know.

What Happened to Chubb?

During the second quarter of Monday night's game in Pittsburgh, Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick collided with Chubb's left knee while making a tackle.

The 27-year-old running back immediately started grabbing at his knee after the play. Chubb was quickly carted off the field and ruled out for the remainder of the game. The injury was so intense that ABC did not show a replay of it on the broadcast. When a replay of Chubb's 5-yard run that ended with his injury was shown on the video board inside Acrisure Stadium, gasps could be heard from the crowd.

"I'm told the replay of Nick Chubb getting injured is not to be seen," play-by-play announcer Joe Buck said on the ABC broadcast.

"Yeah, we're not going to show it. It's as bad as you can imagine," analyst Troy Aikman said.

Browns and Steelers players both gathered around Chubb before he left the field.

Stefanski said Chubb was taken to a local hospital but went back to Cleveland after being released. The team has yet to announce the exact injury that Chubb suffered, but it is more than clear that whatever it is, it's severe.

Chubb ran for 64 yards on 10 carries before leaving the game.

Monday Marks Chubb's Second Major Knee Injury

Monday was the second instance in Chubb's football career where he suffered a grisly knee injury.

On October 10, 2015, while Chubb was a sophomore at the University of Georgia, he injured the same left knee that was hit against the Steelers. Chubb went down on Georgia's first offensive play of that game against Tennessee with an injury that eventually was revealed to be a dislocated knee, cartilage damage, and three torn ligaments.

"I remember how it felt when it happened," Chubb said to ESPN regarding that injury. "There was a tingling feeling in my leg. My body went forward, and my leg went backward. I knew something was wrong."

But Chubb didn't let that injury stop him.

The former Bulldog returned for his junior season after a lengthy recovery process and rushed for 1,130 yards. As a senior, Chubb ran for 1,345 yards and 15 touchdowns for a Georgia team that fell just short of beating Alabama in the national championship game. The Browns drafted Chubb in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

What's Next for the Browns at RB?

Chubb rushed for a career-high 1,525 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Over his six-year NFL career, Chubb has averaged 5.3 yards per rush, the third-highest mark by a running back (with a minimum of 500 carries) in the Super Bowl era, per ESPN. Not having its star running back in the lineup for the foreseeable future leaves a hole in Cleveland's offense.

So, where do the Browns go from here?

Cleveland could opt to move forward with Jerome Ford as its lead back. The 2022 fifth-round pick ran for 106 yards on 16 carries against the Steelers, with most of his work coming after Chubb left the game. The second-year pro reversed field and set up a Cleveland score with a 69-yard run in the third quarter.

But if the Browns want to look elsewhere to bolster their now-depleted backfield, here are a few names to look out for:

Kareem Hunt: This pairing might make the most sense for the Browns. Hunt produced 2,847 and 23 touchdowns from scrimmage in four seasons in Cleveland from 2019-22. The Browns opted not to bring Hunt back this season and he remains unsigned. Even if Ford continues to be the primary back, a reunion with Hunt could provide some needed depth in the backfield.

Cam Akers: The Los Angeles Rams' relationship with their 2020 second-round pick has been rocky as of late. Akers was a healthy scratch in the Rams' Week 2 loss, and reports indicate that Los Angeles has put Akers on the trade block. Could the Browns be interested? Akers rushed for 786 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022, but opened the 2023 season by only gaining 29 yards on 22 attempts in Week 1.

Leonard Fournette: Like Hunt, Fournette is a veteran running back who went unsigned this offseason. The seventh-year pro spent the past three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fournette averaged only 3.5 yards per carry last season but did catch 73 passes for 523 yards.

Jonathan Taylor: Could the Browns go from one of the best running backs in the league to another? Taylor remains with the Indianapolis Colts after failing to find a trade partner leading up to the season. The former All-Pro is on injured reserve through at least Week 4, but could still be traded. Taylor led the league in rushing attempts, yards and touchdowns in 2021. At least one former NFL general manager seems to think he'd be a good fit in Cleveland.