4 Nightmare Scenarios for the Cleveland Browns in 2024

3. Nick Chubb doesn't look like Nick Chubb upon return

When Cleveland decided to sign Deshaun Watson to a $230 million, fully guaranteed contract, fans were concerned about their commitment to Nick Chubb. The star running back was the motor that moved the offense over the past five seasons but it was clear head coach Kevin Stefanski wanted to open up the passing game.

Cleveland's coaching staff assured anyone who would listen that the offense will still feature plenty of Nick Chubb. Former running back coach Stump Mitchell even said he felt Chubb could average more than 6.0 yards per carry in their revamped offense.

Sadly, we only saw six quarters with Chubb active last year but he was doing exactly what Mitchell said he would. Chubb had 170 yards on 28 rushing attempts, which is an average of 6.1 yards per attempt. He was injured in the second half of their Week 2 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers following a low hit from Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Chubb needed two surgeries since both his ACL and MCL were torn and the expectation is that he will return "at some point" in 2024. The conservative approach makes sense and the Browns even protected themselves financially by re-working Chubb's contract.

Having said that, Chubb only agreed to the new deal since there's a risk he won't be the same player we remember. Andrew Berry said he would never bet against Chubb, but at the same time, running backs typically decline in their late 20s. The Cleveland back is going to be 29 in December and is coming off his second major knee surgery — to the same knee.

While at Georgia, Chubb bounced back and was better than ever. Cleveland will be thrilled if he's just the same player we saw in 2023 but this nightmare scenario is that he proves to be human and slows down. If so, the offense will lean heavily on D'Onta Foreman, which isn't terrible. But it's also not the same as leaning on No. 24.