BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns beloved running back Nick Chubb got back on the practice fields Wednesday for the first time since sustaining the brutal season-ending knee injury in Week 2 last year. For more than a year, the running back has put his all into returning to the game he loves so much.
It wasn't an easy road, though.
"The toughest part is just the mental aspect of it. Just uncertainty of going through the rehab and not knowing if things will be the same. I took it one day at a time and I eventually got to where I wanted to be, so it was just probably the mental part of not knowing the future," Chubb said on Thursday, the day after his first practice back.
The Browns designated Chubb to return for practice on Wednesday, opening his practice window from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. He got to work with quarterbacks in handoff drills and do work with the running backs room for the first time in 14 months.
Watch Chubb at practice below:
Being back on the field with his teammates around him was surreal for the no-frills, hardworking back.
"It didn't feel real. It felt like a dream. I feel like I've been up and battling this for a while now. So it was great to get all that off my shoulders and finally get back out there," Chubb said. "It felt good. Good to be out there with the guys. It's been almost a complete year, so it's been a long time of me not being out there. So it felt great to get out there."
On Thursday, Chubb continued practicing with the team, back with the quarterbacks for some individual drills, then with receivers and tight ends on some pass-catching activities and over to the running backs' station for footwork drills.
Chubb has worked hard to get through each milestone. The most difficult: running.
"Probably just running. I wanted to be able to get on my feet, be able to run and move how I wanted to. Yeah, so once I was doing that I knew I would play a game," he said.
Now able to run and participate in football activities, Chubb's next target is being activated to return to game action.
However, he and the team will make sure when that day comes, it's the right one for Chubb and his health.
"I do want to get on the field, but I have to make sure I am where I need to be first. Yeah, I'm ready to get out there and help my team win," Chubb said. "That's what I want to do. I want to go out there and play football with my teammates. I want to go out there and be good at it. So that's just a burning desire in me."
And as he nears that return to game action, Chubb is grateful, grateful to be able to get back to the game he loves, thankful for his teammates' support through his journey back—and grateful to the fans who have poured love his way along every step of his recovery.
"It means a lot. I love it here in Cleveland. I feel the love, the support from everyone everywhere I go, anytime I'm out or anything. I love it here. It's definitely motivation for me to get back out there for all the fans," Chubb said.
