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Nick Chubb suited up for practice with the Cleveland Browns for the first time since September 2023.

“Nick’s working through injuries and rehabbing, you’re always excited when they’re back in pads,” coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Nick has been here every day so not far from what we’re doing, not far from what we’re thinking about. He’s in every meeting. He’s here very early. This is just the next natural progression for him.”

Chubb and running back Nyheim Hines, both rehabbing knee injuries, are returning to practice with a 21-day window to be activated by the Browns. They’ve pushed each other in rehab and workouts, training sessions and film study since graduating to straight-line sprints early in training camp.

The next steps are the trickiest to predict and the Browns plan to follow the lead of their medical team and the individual players to determine when — and if — either is part of the plan by November.

The Browns are averaging 4.3 yards per carry with Jerome Ford leading the team in rushing (39 carries, 203 yards) behind an offensive line decimated by injuries.

Chubb was placed on injured reserve Week 2 of last season with a torn meniscus and ACL in his left knee. He required multiple reconstructive knee surgeries even to get to the rehab phase. Once he got there, Chubb lived up to his reputation as a dogged weightlifter and worked on a training regimen that began at the University of Georgia and continued at the Browns’ facility in Berea, Ohio.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry said Chubb was “doing two-a-day practices for rehab,” which guided the franchise’s decision to fight to keep him on the roster with a restructured deal.

Chubb made four consecutive Pro Bowl teams (2019-22) and rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of those seasons, including 1,525 in 2022.

Since being selected by the Browns with the 35th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, Chubb has run for 6,511 yards and 48 touchdowns in 77 games.

Berry said that during the 2023 season, Chubb kept his preparation locked in as if he were playing in a regular season game. The routine, down to his pre-dawn arrivals and workout recovery plan, didn’t change. All of the money Chubb could have earned in base salary is now available in incentives if he returns.

“I probably came into (last season), let’s say on a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of respect for Nick Chubb — it was a 10. And probably coming out of this year, it’s now a 20,” Berry said.

Prior to camp, Chubb posted a video of himself squatting 540 pounds. A month later, a video featured Chubb doing one-legged lateral jumps.

Asked in the preseason if Chubb could possibly return Week 1, Stefanski said he “would never doubt this young man.”

But Chubb was placed on the physically unable to perform list on Aug. 27. Hines went on the PUP list on the same date and was also activated to return to practice Wednesday. A player designated for return remains on the reserve list for the remainder of the season if not activated at the end of the 21-day window.

Stefanski said Hines “is a talented ball-carrier whether you hand it to him or throw it to him” and expects his potential role to go beyond special teams. Hines was primarily a return specialist with the Bills but missed all of last season after a jet ski accident. In 2022 with Buffalo, he worked with current Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and special teams coach Bubba Ventrone.

–Field Level Media