CLEVELAND — It was the season-ending hit felt around the NFL.
Week 2 of the 2023 season in Pittsburgh — 207-pound Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick tries to stop the freight train of Browns running back Nick Chubb with a low tackle. The result? A devastating knee injury that would sideline Chubb for rest of the year.
It wasn't the first time Chubb had been through this: He had a similar knee injury during his sophomore year at Georgia. He knew what he faced, he knew what recovery and rehabilitation would be like, he knew the risks.
Moments after the hit, Browns team doctor James Voos, M.D., University Hospitals Chair of Orthopedic Surgery and now president of the NFL Physicians Society, was among the first on the field. He knew repairing Chubb's knee would be in his hands.
"The challenge of this injury is that it's a second time to suffer a significant knee injury," Voos explained to 3News of how he clearly understood how high the stakes were. "So taking into the consideration of a prior surgery, a significant new injury, and then the desire to get back to performing at a very high level."
But Voos also knew that a lot had changed in the eight years between the injuries, and everything definitely worked in the running back's favor. The science, surgical equipment, and techniques are significantly better.
"The NanoScope is a very small, pinhole-type camera that allowed us during his first surgery to confirm the diagnosis of the type of ligament injury he had," Voos said. "It also allowed us to work around the knee with very small incisions and minimal trauma to the tissue."
Voos added that those smaller incisions would lead to less scar tissue and faster recovery, not to mention the imaging on the camera has improved tenfold, helping the surgical team build a plan.
According to the Browns, the first surgery in September 2023 repaired Chubb's medial capsule, meniscus, and medial collateral ligament (MCL). By mid-November, Voos repaired Chubb's ACL using a biocomposite material able to fit into smaller spaces.
"Instead of using metal or plastic in the body, these newer implants incorporate into the body," Voos said. "So now there's no longer a foreign body inside the joint that turns into bone. That's that much more opportunity for the ligament or the tissue to heal."
The rest is up to Nick. In a first press conference this past spring, he told reporters he was taking things day by day and following doctors orders. He has a film crew following his progress and appears to be making a documentary.
"We have a great plan," he said. "I'm sticking to it and I'm doing whatever they tell me to do."
After his injury, he could have stayed away, but he didn't. He showed up to support his team and worked out with them when he could. Some teammates wore his No. 24 as the Browns made it to the playoffs.
They expected him back; they know Nick Chubb. So when he posted video eight months after surgery squatting 540 pounds, it's likely his teammates weren't surprised at all.
The rest of us are inspired. The NFL and Browns shared that video, too.
Voos knows the dedication and determination this patient possesses.
"Having the ability to work out at the level he does and to have the mental strength and the physical strength, all credit to him," Voos said. "Truly a remarkable person, and I'm just happy to be a small part of helping him get that."
Chubb is back at Browns camp, but for now is on the PUP list for injured players who can participate in team activities but are not allowed to practice. If he remains on this list on the day of final roster cuts, he must be placed on injured reserve, released, or traded (we assume the latter two won't occur).
The Browns' first preseason game is set for Aug. 10.
