BERRIER — It’s hard to put into words what it feels like to take down Nick Chubb. Just ask any NFL defender what it’s like to take the Browns running back to the ground.
It turns out the gruesome knee injury he suffered last September has allowed him to do something that not many defenders could have done in a very different way.
“I was down mentally for a while,” Chubb said after the Browns’ OTAs on June 5. “When you get injured, it’s different. But when you get injured again, you already know what you have to do, the surgery, the rehab, the whole process, so it’s just a battle every day without a break.”
Chubb, who will be the guest speaker at the Greater Akron-Canton High School Sports Awards Friday night at the Akron Civic Theater, was familiar with the pain he felt in his left knee on Sept. 18, when Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick collided with Chubb’s leg, leading to the second significant knee injury of Chubb’s football career.
While at Georgia in 2015, Chubb tore three ligaments in the same knee during a game against Tennessee — none of which were the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
Nearly nine years later, as Chubb lay on the field in Pittsburgh, a moment of regret swirled in his mind.
“Yeah, sure, I’m just asking why,” Chubb said. “Why? But that’s part of my story. That’s the reality.”
Chubb’s injury required not one but two separate surgeries. The first, on Sept. 29, repaired tears in his medial collateral ligament (MCL), medial capsule and meniscus.
However, during the surgery, it was discovered he had also torn his ACL, which Chubb underwent surgical repair on November 14.
All of this has put Chubb back on a familiar path. That may have been the four-time Pro Bowl selection’s biggest frustration, but the thought of losing something he loved, again, was also his biggest motivation.
Maybe it wasn’t that idea that upset Chubb most, it was the idea that others truly believed he wasn’t coming back.
“I use that as motivation,” Chubb said. “I look at everything. This isn’t the first time someone’s passed me up, so I’ve been in that situation before and I don’t really think about it. But I know that and I’m just focused on getting better.”
The initial reaction in the Browns’ locker room to Chubb’s injury was one of grief, which grew into emotion as teammates dedicated the remainder of the season to Chubb, who was 1-1 at the time.
Chubb eventually got to see his teammates work up close, returning daily to the team in the final month of the season and feeling the energy of their playoff-caliber efforts.
“The biggest thing is being around the building,” Chubb said, “I might not say too much, but just going out on the field on game day and just putting in the effort. I think the guys have noticed that and they’ve started to pick up on that. Even while I was gone, we had a lot more guys just doing that little bit extra thing to help us out.”
Chubb was back with his teammates as they wrapped up their offseason program with minicamp last week, and while he couldn’t do anything football-related on the field, he was able to be on the field with his teammates and offer suggestions when he felt it was appropriate.
Chubb acknowledged that his rehab is going well, though it’s been a bit repetitive due to his previous surgery in college and the routine that comes with it. He started running in a straight line in the spring, but no one could give him an exact date for when he’ll be back on the field.
“I know guys want to know: When is he going to do this? When is he going to do that?,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said June 5. “I know he’s working hard. I see it in the building, I see him in meetings. He’s a big part of our program. A big part of what we do.”
Football and working hard on his craft is a big part of Chubb’s job, which is what helped him overcome serious knee injuries that required surgery in college and the pros.
That’s why Chubb chuckled and said, “We’ll see, I don’t know,” when asked if he’d be able to return for Week 1’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. After all, it’s not like his 2015 injury kept him out of games in 2016 and 2017.
“At this point, I’ve done everything I can and I’m where I want to be,” Chubb said. “When the time is right, when I feel great, I’m going to take the field.”
Contact Chris Easterling at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. For more on the Browns, visit www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow @ceasterlingABJ on X.
This article originally appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal: Nick Chubb overcomes mental battle in latest rehab from knee injury
