CLEVELAND — Nick Chubb has excelled though his knee rehab after two surgeries to repair the season-ending injury he sustained Week 2, but while he's made incredible progress, the Browns running back will need a little more time before he's ready for game action.
A league source confirmed the Browns expect to start Chubb on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, which will make him ineligible for the first four games of the season.
In starting Chubb on the PUP list, the running back won't count against the Browns' 53-man roster. Chubb would be eligible for activation at any point after the first four games.
The soonest Chubb could return would be Week 5 on the road against the Washington Commanders on Oct. 6.
Chubb has long been eyeing a return to game action in 2024. Nearly every day, he arrives at the training facilities in Berea around 7 a.m. He does the work given to him both by the training staff for his rehab and the work in the classroom studying film and going over the playbook.
The Browns are in the process of trimming their roster down to 53 ahead of Tuesday's deadline. With Chubb starting on the PUP list, that will free up one spot for the start of the season.
After tearing his MCL and ACL last season, Chubb has impressed at every stage of his rehab. From last season when he returned to Cleveland Browns Stadium in the Dec. 28 Thursday Night Football game against the Jets to smash a guitar as the Dawg Pound Captain, to more recently posting videos squatting more than 500 pounds in a weight room. Not to mention running full sprints during training camp.
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While Browns fans and players alike would like to have Chubb on the field as soon as possible, starting him on the PUP list allows him to be 100% upon his return to game action, which will no doubt be one of the most anticipated moments of the 2024 season.
