WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Nick Chubb may be defying the odds and medical science.
Cleveland's star running back ran sprints following practice on Friday, another sign that he's ahead of schedule — and predictions — as he recovers from a season-ending knee injury that required two surgeries.
With Browns owner Jimmy Haslam watching intently from a folding chair on the sideline, Chubb powered up and down the field at the Greenbrier Resort's training center. The 28-year-old appeared to be running at full speed and looked like himself while also doing cutting drills to work on his agility.
The Browns asked media members in attendance not to record or photograph Chubb during the workout.
But for those who watched, the session was another major step in a remarkable recovery for Chubb, who suffered a gruesome left knee injury in Week 2 last season when he was hit from the side by Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Chubb tore his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments. He also sustained damage to the medial capsule and meniscus in the same knee he injured while a sophomore at Georgia in 2015.
The Browns have been cautiously optimistic about him returning at some point in the 2024 season, and it appears that could happen much sooner than expected.
Chubb was placed on the physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) list before camp opened. He's not practicing but working on the side with other teammates currently dealing with injuries.
The Browns open the season on Sept. 8 against Dallas. The team has been reluctant to put a timetable on Chubb's return, mostly out of caution but also because it's hard to compare him with many other players.
A video of Chubb squatting over 500 pounds recently went viral.
At minicamp in June, Chubb said "we'll see" when asked if he'd be on the field against the Cowboys.
"He's progressing exactly where he should be," coach Kevin Stefanski said on Day 2 of Cleveland's training camp. "You know Nick. I know Nick. He's pushing it. He's doing everything that they're asking him to do and as much as he can do, more than that within reason and within what the medical side wants him to do.
"It's good to have him out here, period. We always love when Nick's out there at practice. He's somebody that even when he's not in the given play, he can make a big impact on it."
Stefanski said Chubb is spending his mornings with the team's trainers and strength and conditioning staffs.
Chubb has rushed for 6,511 yards and 48 touchdowns since being drafted by the Browns in the second round in 2018. The four-time Pro Bowler has averaged 5.3 yards per carry in his career. He rushed for 1,525 yards in 2022.
The Browns restructured Chubb's contract in April, working it so he could make back a salary cut through incentives.
