For the first time since undergoing season-ending surgery stemming from a knee injury he suffered in Week 2 of last season, Nick Chubb is back on the practice field with the Cleveland Browns. The club opened up the running back's practice window this week, and he hit the field for the first time on Wednesday.
"It felt good," Chubb told reporters Thursday of that surgically repaired left knee. "I've been doing things on my own for a while now, so I've been used to everything I've done out there. It feels good."
Chubb initially began the season on the physically unable to perform list and was sidelined for the first four weeks of the year. After Week 4 was the earliest he was eligible to come off of the PUP list, which is an encouraging sign that he's progressed well.
"I was just hoping to get back at some point," he said. "I never had a date set in mind. Just whenever I felt good and was available to go out there, I was gonna try to go, and that's right now."
Chubb's knee injury was significant, and, as ESPN notes, he had procedures to repair the medial capsule, meniscus, and MCL last September and then underwent another to repair damage to his ACL in November. With that in mind, there's also the emotional element to this return for Chubb after such an ordeal.
"It didn't feel real," he said of practicing again. "It felt like a dream. I've been battling this for a while now, so it was great to get all that off my shoulders and finally get back out there."
It's still unclear when Chubb will be activated onto the 53-man roster, as the Browns have 21 days from when they opened up his window to do so. When asked how many practices he may need to pile up before moving to the active roster, Chubb said, "Whenever I feel good."
Of course, there's naturally a question of the mental hurdles that Chubb may need to go through as he mounts this comeback. Specifically, when players try to take him down and go for his legs.
"I don't think so," he said when asked if there was any concern about getting hit again. "Once you get out there and you're running around, it's like you're 8 years old again. It's like riding a bike. That's not something that's in my head. I mean, you can't control that. So I'm gonna go out there and play fast."
When healthy, Chubb has proven to be one of the top backs in the NFL. The four-time Pro Bowler has four 1,000-yard seasons under his belt and averages 5.3 yards per carry for his career. When asked if he believes he can return to that former level of play post-injury, Chubb replied, "Guess we'll all find out at the same time."
