BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Nick Chubb’s most recent view of the Steelers came through tear-filled eyes as he sat on the back of a cart being driven off the field.
He’ll see them again Thursday under far better circumstances.
Chubb will face Cleveland’s hated rival for the first time since last year, when the Browns running back sustained a second traumatic injury to his left knee — this one ending his season, threatening his career and jarring teammates.
While other players might be seeking revenge, not Chubb. Not his style.
“It’s just the same normal game for me pushing the same way and looking forward to going out there and playing against a great team,” Chubb said Wednesday, dismissing any thought of payback. “That’s just who I am.
“It’s a football game. I got to go out there and play so no matter who we’re playing or what we’re up against. I’m always in the same mindset.”
What started as a routine running play in Week 2 last season in Pittsburgh became anything but normal for Chubb.
Taking a handoff and cutting inside the Pittsburgh 5-yard line, Chubb was struck from the side by Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who drove his shoulder into Chubb’s knee, grotesquely bending it in the opposite direction.
Chubb never called it a dirty hit. He also hasn’t heard from Fitzpatrick since.
“I talked to him on the field when it happened,” he said. “That’s about it.”
Chubb underwent surgery a few weeks later to repair a torn medial collateral ligament, meniscus and medial capsule. Two months after that, Chubb had a second surgery to fix his anterior cruciate ligament, which he also tore while at Georgia in 2015.
It seemed unrealistic when the Browns announced they expected Chubb to be back at some point in the 2024 season.
But after seeing his unmatched work ethic for six years, they knew better than to doubt him and when Chubb began running sooner than expected this spring, it was only a matter of time before No. 24 returned to Cleveland’s backfield.
His inspiring comeback — Chubb missed the first six games — has been one of the only positives in a lost season for the Browns (2-8).
“It’s amazing to see him out here in general,” said star defensive end Myles Garrett. “To have that kind of resolve, to say ‘this is going to be another bump in the road, it’s not going to stop me, it’s not going to draw the line for me here’ and to continue to work his (rear end) off day in and day out to get back on this field and play a game that he loves and move in the way that he does.
“The guy is one of the most athletic people on the field every time he steps on. And to get back to even 99% of that, 95% of that takes a whole hell of a lot of work and he did everything that he can to put himself in position to make some huge plays for us and be that cornerstone that he always has been. So a massive amount of respect.”
It’s mutual from the Steelers. Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin calls him “Mr. Chubb.”
“Just got so much respect for his game and his body of work and his capabilities,” Tomlin said. “From an appreciative football standpoint, man, it’s really good to see him back. But from a guy that competes against him this week, obviously, he has our attention.”
The Browns have purposely eased Chubb back, closely managing his workload. His longest run is only 15 yards, but he’s had moments where he’s looked like his old self.
Guard Joel Bitonio vividly remembers that final carry last season, and he’s enjoying every opportunity Chubb gets now.
“It’s just the person he is, the work he puts in,” Bitonio said. “You talk about what it takes to be a great teammate. He has all those qualities. He’s a friend and you never want to see a guy go down, so that stuff hurt, especially the injury. It was emotional for sure, but I’m excited that he’s back playing and hopefully keep building him up and he keeps getting back to that Nick Chubb-style of running.”
NOTES: Garrett (hip) didn’t practice Wednesday but is expected to play. … The Browns placed LT Dawand Jones (broken leg) on injured reserve and signed LT Geron Christian off the Rams practice squad. He started nine games for Cleveland last year. … LT Jedrick Wills Jr. said he and the coaching staff are on the same page following his comment last week that he made a “business decision” to sit out of a recent game with a knee injury. “It probably rubbed a lot of people wrong,” Wills said. “I mean, it is what it is. Everybody heard me explain what I said, so I really don’t care, to be honest.”
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