There are tiers in NFL free agency. Levels. Platforms.
And one stellar name has completely slipped through the cracks.
Cleveland Browns back Nick Chubb is that name ... as he is facing a bad news update on what the NFL thinks of him.
Chubb exploded onto the league scene and kept rolling through his first five seasons. Following a 996-yard campaign in his rookie season, he went over 1,000 in each of the next four campaigns.
But some brutal injury luck brought to a halt a fantastic run. The Browns lost Chubb two games into the 2023 season after a nasty leg injury, and then a broken foot took away half of his 2024.
Now a free agent, Chubb seeks a fresh start ... maybe in Cleveland.
According to a Mary Kay Cabot note from a few weeks ago, a return to the Browns could still be in play.
"Chubb didn’t find a new home in the first wave of free agency, and the Browns will be open to re-signing him in the second wave if they determine they’ll have a role for him," Cabot wrote. "They’ll also likely draft a running back in this rich class to pair with Jerome Ford, or acquire one in a trade or free agency."
But now we are well beyond that "first wave of free agency.'' That started a month ago. Teams are now turning their attention to the NFL Draft.
That goes for Cleveland. That goes for all of them.
The second wave of free agency? It's come and gone. ... to the point at which Chubb is now dealing with what we call "scrap-heap free agency.''
He's suddenly not a commodity. He's likely to have to do something with a one-year deal.
As of now, not even that option has not presented itself. ... and who knows? We may have to wait until after the late-April NFL Draft dust settles.
We might even need to wait until training camp, when an injury to another running back puts Chubb back in play.
