The Steelers held this perennial Pro Bowler in check like no other team could.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have one fewer ex-Pro Bowler to deal with in the AFC North. On Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Cleveland Browns free agent running back Nick Chubb is expected to sign a contract with the Houston Texans, barring a physical.
Chubb has been wreaking havoc on NFL teams since joining the league as a second-round pick by the Browns in the 2018 NFL Draft. The Georgia product exploded for 1,494 rushing yards and 278 receiving yards in his second NFL season, beginning the first of four straight Pro Bowl appearances.
In 2022, Chubb saw a career year, which included 1,525 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns en route to Second-Team All-Pro honors. Sadly, over the past two seasons, the star running back combined to play just 10 games. This stemmed from a controversial hit from Minkah Fitzpatrick early in the 2023 season that resulted in a catastrophic knee injury.
Chubb didn't look like the same player in 2024 as he worked his way back to the field, but even at his best, the Steelers are one team that wished he had stayed in the AFC North.
The Pittsburgh Steelers contained Nick Chubb over the years
Nick Chubb has gotten the best of the Pittsburgh Steelers at times. Back in 2021, Chubb had a contest against Pittsburgh in which he rushed for 108 yards on 7.7 yards per carry and chipped in a touchdown. But for the most part, the Steelers have no issue containing the perennial Pro Bowl running back.
Over the past seven seasons, the Steelers have faced Chubb in 12 regular-season games. In these contests, Pittsburgh's defense held the well-rounded running back to just 68.7 rushing yards per game and 0.3 rushing touchdowns per game. In the passing game, Chubb averaged a mere 0.8 receptions and 7.1 receiving yards per game against the Steelers in his career, per Statmuse.com. Chubb had just two 100-yard rushing performances against Pittsburgh.
While Chubb has often feasted on unsuspecting opponents while drawing All-Pro buzz, the Pittsburgh Steelers have kept him under wraps as well as any team in the NFL, even when the star running back was in the prime of his career. In hindsight, fans should have been thankful the Cleveland Browns handed Chubb a three-year, $36.6 million contract extension in 2021, because when it came to facing the Steelers, this was money poorly spent.
Now that Nick Chubb is just a shade of his former self, there was more reason than ever to root for him to stick around in the AFC North, where the Steelers could swallow him up twice per year. However, with the Browns drafting running backs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson, it was never going to make sense for Chubb to stick around.
Instead, Chubb found a new home with Houston. The Pittsburgh Steelers don't play the Texans this year, and sadly, they may have already faced their final game against Nick Chubb.
