The Browns went into the offseason and revamped the top of their running back room by drafting Quinshon Judkins in round two and Dylan Sampson in round four. Along with that, they also agreed to a pay cut with veteran Jerome Ford, which put Nick Chubb's future further in question.
On Sunday, we learned that the end was official as Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported Chubb passed his physical and is signing a one-year contract with the Houston Texans.
Nick Chubb signing with Texans
After seven seasons with the Browns, Chubb will spend his age-30 season in Houston. Chubb ends his Browns' tenure as the third-leading rusher in franchise history at 6,843 yards, trailing only Leroy Kelly and Jim Brown.
It was an amazing first five years after being the 35th overall pick out of Georgia. Before suffering a catastrophic knee injury, Chubb rushed for 1,000 yards in four of his first five seasons, as he came short by four yards in his rookie year on just 192 attempts. Chubb earned Second-Team All-Pro honors in 2022 in one of his two seasons where he totaled at least 1,700 scrimmage yards.
The RB3/RB4 spot on most rosters, and the Browns' specifically recently, has had a role on special teams, whether that be as a return man or another role. Neither rookie contributed much on special teams in college, and it seems unlikely the Browns would ask Chubb to assume that job at this point in his career. Additionally, the RB3 typically needs to have a specialized role like third-down back, and Chubb wouldn't fill anything other than maybe a goal-line option.
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Because Ford and Strong have a history playing on special teams and are also better suited to fill the third-down spot, they both make more sense than Chubb in that particular role. On another note, giving Chubb significant carries would only halt the development of the rookies and wouldn't make much sense unless the Browns were legitimately contending.
From a fan perspective, this one is soul-crushing, as Chubb represented the team and the city as well as humanely possible with his drive to help the team win and humble attitude. Unfortunately, his knee injury in 2023 was not the first significant knee injury for him, and it's unlikely that he will ever return to the form he was during his best years. At the very least, it's nice to know Chubb will get an opportunity to earn a clear backup role to Joe Mixon in Houston, where he can contribute on a playoff hopeful instead of getting limited touches on a rebuilding squad.