Browns running back Nick Chubb was hurt last year during Week 2, missing the remainder of the season to recover from meniscus, MCL, and ACL injuries.
Although the Cleveland standout has yet to publicly name his return date for the 2024 regular season, that fact did not keep NFL coaches and executives from recognizing the athlete.
ESPN analyst Jeremy Fowler revealed the results of surveys from NFL coaches and executives this offseason who ranked the top 10 players at each position.
Despite not playing since 2023, Chubb finished with a No. 3 ranking ahead of the 2024 regular season, Fowler wrote in a recent article.
Fowler acknowledged that ranking Chubb among the top three running backs in the league in 2024 was a hard proposition based on his current status.
Past performances and his football knowledge are what coaches and executives used to rank the running back as high.
“Even if he’s lacking some explosion in the short term, he still has instincts and good feet,” an unnamed AFC executive said of Chubb according to Fowler’s article.
Fowler credited Chubb’s historical averages for his lofty ranking, noting the running back has accumulated 5.3 yards per rush since 2018.
That stat ranks third in NFL history behind only Bo Jackson and Jamaal Charles at 5.4 yards per rush.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and New York Jets runner Breece Hall ranked as the No. 1 and No. 2 backs, respectively, on the survey.
Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley and Indianapolis Colts athlete Jonathan Taylor rounded out the top five running backs according to the survey.
