Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb does not do a lot of talking on the football field, unless it is to ask a question or express momentary frustration with himself for a bad play, but when he takes the ball out of the backfield, the second-year rusher makes plenty of noise.
Chubb put his vision and speed on full display during a drill in Thursday’s joint practice with the Indianapolis Colts at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana when he took a handoff from quarterback Baker Mayfield, hopped left, and then, scooted right before hustling down the field for a 65-yard touchdown.
“I think during the evaluation process, you saw the speed and you saw the agility,” Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said following Thursday’s practice. “He has one of the best jump cuts I have ever seen.
“I am not claiming I have seen every jump cut, so I am sure I am going to offend somebody with that. He has a good jump cut in the hole. He has great body control, balance and all the characteristics and skill sets that good running backs have. Yeah, we saw it.
“This game is built on explosive plays and not turning the ball over. Anytime you get an explosive play, everybody understands the significance of that moving forward in a game. That was an explosive play.”
Chubb even drew rave reviews from his teammates with the 65-yard touchdown run, mainly fellow running back Kareem Hunt, who is no stranger to making explosive plays both running the football and catching out of the backfield.
“It was beautiful vision,” Hunt said. “He hit it, too. That’s a great run. Props to the o-line, too. They made a nice hole right there, so you can’t forget about those guys, and Chubb is doing a great job of finishing the runs and taking it to the house.
“I feel like that started off the period or whatever we were doing, so yeah, definitely. You always want to start it off like that, a big play.”
Although Chubb has focused on honing his skills as a pass catcher in recent months, often spending 10-15 minutes after every training camp practice working on the jugs machine, he appears poised to build on a solid first NFL season, one in which he was an Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist.
Chubb finished the 2018 season, one in which he saw limited time in the first seven games, with 996 yards and eight touchdowns on 192 carries. Chubb had 11 20-yard runs, four 40-yard bursts and 47 first-down conversions.
A second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of the University of Georgia, Chubb rushed for 788 of his 996 yards and five of his eight touchdowns on 140 carries under Kitchens’ direction. After the changes in the coaching staff, Chubb averaged 5.63 yards per carry and became a contributing player in the passing game as well.
Chubb caught 20 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns with two 20-yard plays and four receiving first downs.
“Watching him at Georgia, he was an SEC guy, so I watched him,” receiver Odell Beckham Jr. said.
“He’s always been a player. To be able to be here in front of him, and to see him, I told him, ‘I wouldn’t have thought you were that fast,’ but when he gets moving, he’s rolling. I think he’s got great vision. I think he’s a great back. I’m definitely happy to have him.”