4 Most valuable players on the Browns roster in 2023

3. Nick Chubb, RB

Heading into his sixth season in the NFL, Nick Chubb is already a top-five running back in Cleveland Browns history. He's topped 1,000 yards in four of his previous campaigns with the only exception being his rookie season when he initially hit the mark, but then lost a few yards and wound up with 996.

For his career, he has 6,341 yards with 48 touchdowns but there have been some concerns that he won't get as many touches in 2023 since the Browns will be using more shotgun with Deshaun Watson under center.

That worry should be squashed. Even with an offense dedicated to an aerial attack, there will be room for No. 24. And as Cory Kinnan of Browns Wire says, Chubb has been wildly successful out of the shotgun, running for roughly six yards per attempt from this formation.

What really matters isn't how often Chubb is used, it's how effectively he's used. Throughout his first five seasons, he's been a workhorse and while he's been fantastic, they've also ridden him into the ground. Chubb did continue to rack up yardage in 2022 but after Week 12, he scored no touchdowns.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski knows they're going to need him later in the season — especially when the weather turns cold. So his focus will be getting the passing attack rolling, then allowing Chubb to ice games. Avoiding the 20-plus touch games early in the season will pay dividends and in the end, it could lead to Chubb being even tough when the stakes are the highest.