To be clear, Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb’s injury makes me personally so sad.
He is my favorite Browns player for his work ethic and the way he goes about his business on and off the field.
His devastating injury revives key issues both internally for the Browns and throughout the NFL; some of which will be discussed for days and weeks by NFL analysts.
1. Running Backs Deserve Lucrative Long-Term Contracts
It only took until Week 2 and two Pro Bowl players, Saquon Barkley, and Nick Chubb, to suffer injuries for this preseason argument to resurface.
The preseason and 2023 theme has been to not pay running backs lucrative long-term deals because they do not have longevity.
Barkley got a one-year deal after much conflict between himself and the Giants making him a free agent after 2023.
This is a double-edged sword that seems unfair because as Chubb showed last night, running backs sustain some of the most physical and violent injuries in football.
Chubb is in the second year of his three-year deal, but the Browns have an opportunity to get out of the deal before 2024.
Last two days showed why Running Backs have to fight for their money and why teams fight so hard to not give it to them… Sheesh, they both seem right for their stance.
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) September 19, 2023
2. Was Minkah Fitzpatrick’s Hit On Chubb A Cheap Shot?
The Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers rivalry is a heated one both geographically and within a competitive AFC North division.
Browns fans feel it was a cheap shot, and Steelers fans do not agree.
Weighing in on this would require me to be an expert in the issue and/or to watch Chubb’s injury video more than one time.
Neither is happening.
Was the Minkah Fitzpatrick hit that took Nick Chubb out dirty??@JasonMcCourty explains why he went low pic.twitter.com/1kTGawRQ1i
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) September 19, 2023
3. Why Are The Browns So Thin At Running Back Behind Chubb?
The Browns had three solid backs in 2022.
Kareem Hunt and D’Ernest Johnson backed up Nick Chubb last season.
Hunt is a free agent, and Johnson was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jerome Ford is a good player, but he will certainly need help.
Jerome Ford said he hasn’t had a chance to talk to Nick Chubb yet but as soon as he got to his locker he’s the first person he texted. He says he hasn’t even talked to his family or anyone just texted Chubb saying he’s praying for him and that he’s sorry they couldn’t get the…
— Bridget Condon (@BridgetCondon_) September 19, 2023
Presumably, the Browns will be in the market for another back.
There are free agents like ex-Browns RB Hunt and Leonard Fournette and disgruntled players (Jonathan Taylor and Cam Akers) with other teams that could be acquired relatively quickly.
The only argument that will not come up is the grass versus turf one since Acrisure Stadium has grass.
That is not really a consolation in this case, but it is worth mentioning in light of Aaron Rodgers’s injury last Monday.
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