ESPN connected former Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb to an intriguing NFL team where he’d have plenty of eyes on him
Nick Chubb will forever be a Cleveland Browns’ fan favorite for his time in Northeast Ohio. ESPN believes he could be a good fit for a big market team in the NFC as a free agent.
Last season was a nice glimpse of what Quinshon Judkins can be for the Cleveland Browns until he went down with a serious injury. Judkins looked good for the Browns despite running behind a poor offensive line as a rookie. Cleveland hopes Judkins can give them something close to what Nick Chubb once did, and the early signs were positive.
Speaking of Chubb, he remains a free agent after playing his first season away from Cleveland last year with the Houston Texans. Chubb is entering year No. 9 and there’s one NFC team that could make a whole lot of sense for him.
ESPN has connected Nick Chubb to America’s Team as a free agent
ESPN did an exercise finding the best landing spots for the top remaining free agents. Chubb is best as a secondary running back at this point in his career, with age and injury factors. The former Cleveland star has been labeled as a best fit for the Dallas Cowboys.
“A veteran grinder at this point in his career, Chubb could provide value as the Cowboys’ No. 2 or No. 3 option behind starter Javonte Williams,” ESPN’s Matt Bowen wrote. “Chubb can still secure catches on swings and checkdowns in the passing game, but he should be viewed as an early-down option who can use his power and vision in short-yardage situations. He rushed for 520 yards in Houston last season.”
Chubb is coming off a season in which he started nine of the 15 games he played for Houston. The former Georgia standout had 506 rushing yards to go along with three touchdowns on the ground at a 4.1 yards per carry clip. It was a slight improvement from 2023 when Chubb returned to Cleveland and played in eight games but ran it for just 3.3 yards per carry.
Being a part of a running back room in Dallas behind Williams with a legit franchise quarterback in Dak Prescott would be a positive for Chubb. There’s no doubt the 2022 knee injury changed Chubb’s career, before then he was one of the NFL’s best running backs. But to be able to come back from the injury was great to see.
Chubb was a four-time Pro Bowler with the Browns and ran for 6,843 yards and 51 touchdowns over seven seasons (85 games). With eight years played in the NFL already Chubb is nearing a decade-long run as a pro.
Landing in Dallas wouldn’t put pressure on Chubb to start games like he had to with Houston last year when Joe Mixon was unavailable. It’s an ideal situation for the veteran running back and one I’d like to see happen as we get closer to the end of his career.