Tag Archives: Nick Chubb

3 Browns considered Top-100 players

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Three members of this year’s Cleveland Browns team appeared in Pete Prisco’s Top 100 list appearing on CBS Sports. This is just the opinions of one individual, with that particular person having his fair shore of hot takes, but this list is still notable.

Honorable Mention

Before getting into which players made it, there is one who just missed the list, Denzel Ward. Ward did have a down year, but he still one of the better corners in the league. With eight cornerbacks appearing in the Top 100, Ward’s relegation to Honorable Mention is not that big of a shock.

49. Joel Bitonio

Browns left guard Joel Bitonio is ranked number 49 on Prisco’s list. Bitonio is the second-highest guard on the list, only behind Dallas’ Zack Martin at 25. Four other guards do appear in the Top-100 grouped between 59 and 80. Prisco had the following to say about Bitonio.

On a Browns line hit by injuries last season, he was the steady force, starting all 17 games. He is equally good in the run game as in pass protection.

Short and to the point, but without getting into a full blown offensive line breakdown session, it is difficult to say a whole lot about play at the guard position.

33. Nick Chubb

The third-highest running back on the list is Nick Chubb. The two running backs ahead of the Browns star are San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey at 27 and Tennessee’s Derrick Henry at 30. Five other running backs appear after Chubb, all but one being outside the Top-50 (Jonathan Taylor, 36). This is what Prisco noted about Chubb.

Chubb had his best season in 2022, rushing for a career-high 1,525 yards while scoring 13 touchdowns. He continues to be the focal point of the Cleveland offense.

That last part, “the focal point of the Cleveland offense” has been true for quite some time. That may change with the Browns now having a full season of Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback, but still expect Chubb to carry a heavy load offensively.

5. Myles Garrett

Top-five seems right for Myles Garrett. There is only one other defensive player ahead of Garrett and it happens to Nick Bosa coming in at fourth overall. Coming in second to the reigning Defensive Player of the Year is not too bad in the grand scheme of things. Garrett is one of the best defensive ends in the league and his on-field production has certainly shown it, Prisco makes sure to mention exactly that.

He tied for second in the league in sacks with 16 and remains one of the most dominant edge players in the league. Now that they’ve added some pass-rush help, his numbers might be even better this season.

The Browns defense has always gone where Garrett has taken them. This is something that can only be applied to a select handful of players of which Garrett is one. Cleveland’s success or failure defensively is ultimately tied to Garrett, but the aforementioned “pass-rush help” should lessen the load on his shoulders week-in and week-out.

Browns in bottom half of big plays last season

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The Cleveland Browns had their fair share of difficulties last season. Between having to start veteran Jacoby Brissett while Deshaun Watson was suspended, and the latter quarterback looking extremely rusty when he did play, Cleveland’s offense was not exactly high-powered. Brissett is a perfectly fine quarterback, but not exactly someone known to chuck it down the field. With all of that in mind, it is not a shock to see where the Browns ranked when it came to offensive plays of 30 or more yards last season.

With just 21 to their name, 18 other teams were able to accumulate more plays of this type than Cleveland.

Of course the one outlier here is Denver and as Warren Sharp mentions, it was mostly “moonballs when losing”. Besides that, it is obvious that Cleveland needs to improve in this area for the upcoming season.

These numbers should look better for the Browns as Watson becomes more familiar with his teammates. That is in addition to adding some help in the form of former Jets receiver Elijah Moore. Cleveland is counting on Moore to be an important part of their offense this season. Moore, along with Donovan Peoples-Jones, should be able to find favorable matchups with opposing defenses focusing in on Amari Cooper.

Peoples-Jones was one of the better receivers when it came to catch rate over expected last season. This speaks about his volumes about his ability to reel in the ball, but also the quality of passes that were thrown in his direction last year. Peoples-Jones should have a much easier time making catches this season with a full season of Watson commandeering the offense.

There is also one other person of note, maybe you’ve heard of him, Nick Chubb. Chubb was one of the most explosive runners in the NFL last season and may in fact be the best running back in the league. The Browns will still utilize Chubb heavily in their game plan, but expect their passing game to evolve as well. Cleveland has been cornered into running a certain style of offense the past few seasons that can be effective, but is very limited in the variety of plays that can be run. There are more options at Kevin Stefanski’s disposal when curating a game plan that should lead to more explosiveness. That variety and potential explosiveness is what will ultimately determine the success of their season in what is a make or break year for this regime.

Browns should go after Dalvin Cook

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The Minnesota Vikings will be releasing 27-year old veteran running back Dalvin Cook, and yes the Cleveland Browns should be interested. Cook is coming off his fourth straight 1,000 yard season and has been a consistent presence in the passing game during his time in Minnesota. Before we get too far, this is not about moving on from or phasing out Nick Chubb in any way. This is about adding more depth to the Browns offense and giving the best running back in the NFL a productive backfield partner.

As things currently stand, the Browns backfield after Chubb is nothing impressive. There is hope that Jerome Ford can take a step forward and become a good backup to Chubb, but now is not the time for hope for Cleveland. Now is the time to add proven commodities to their offense in order to get them where they need to go. There is also the fact that Cook is a consistent threat in the passing game, an area that Chubb is not necessarily the strongest in. The past few seasons have seen the now departed Kareem Hunt attempt to fill that role, but he was never the best fit for what the Browns were doing offensively. Hunt was able to make the occasional splash play, but there was a lot of inconsistency and underwhelming results during his time in Cleveland.

Familiarity and a sense of urgency could play a role

It should also be mentioned that Dalvin Cook is familiar with Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski as he was with Minnesota before coming to Cleveland. Stefanski’s lone season as Vikings offensive coordinator saw Cook break out for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground in addition to 53 receptions for 519 yards in the passing game. It seems pretty safe to say that Stefanski knows how to utilize Cook in an offensive scheme.

Another thing to consider would be limiting the wear and tear on both Chubb and Cook. Both are 27 and have a similar number of carries 1,210 – 1,282 respectively. There is a way to maximize the talents of both backs at the same time while prolonging the length of their effectiveness. Utilizing both players would help prolong the steep drop-off in play that comes for running backs their age and may even help them avoid it altogether.

The fact of the matter is that the Browns must continue to add to their team in order to close the gap between themselves and the championship contenders. Adding Cook would certainly help in that area and may in fact help them contend for the division. There is also the whole thing about putting another quality skill position player around Deshaun Watson, but that was a given.

The reality is that this is a defining season for this front office and coaching staff. They know their jobs are on the line if they do not win this season. With that in mind this regime should do anything and everything they can to avoid having another season with excuses attached at year’s end.

Is Nick Chubb the NFL’s best running back?

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Seems like a pretty easy question. Is Nick Chubb the best running back in the NFL? Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus believes so. In a list of the Top 32 running backs in the league, Sikkema places Chubb atop the list.

Sikkema’s reasoning for Chubb’s position is pretty sound.

“Chubb takes the top honor here for his consistency. He’s never posted a rushing grade below 80.0, and his most recent grade of 90.7 in 2022 was a career high. Along with being one of the most physically gifted backs, he regularly forces missed tackles at one of the highest rates in the NFL and ranks near the top in yards-per-carry average.”

PFF grades aside, it is hard to argue the placement of Nick Chubb on this list. The Browns running back is routinely in the top three in rushing year-in and year-out. The only exception being 2020 when he was limited to just 12 games, but 2019 (1,494 – 2nd), 2021 (1,259 – 2nd), and 2022 (1,525 – 3rd) has Chubb in his rightful place among the top rushers in the league.

If there is one area that could have dinged Nick Chubb a bit is his production in the passing game. Chubb’s best season as a receiver came in 2019 with just 36 receptions for 278 yards. Since then other backs have seen use pass catchers under Kevin Stefanski. The majority of passes to running backs have gone to others such as Kareem Hunt and D’Ernest Johnson in recent seasons. This is more than fine as it makes play-action much more effective with Chubb in the game.

Even though Hunt and Johnson will not be returning, do not expect a sudden uptick in this area for Chubb. Cleveland added Elijah Moore, Marquise Goodwin, and Cedric Tillman to upgrade their passing attack. And with Deshaun Watson at the helm, expect those new faces in addition to the already present options including to handle pass catching duties on a regular basis. It is the threat of Chubb running the ball which makes things easier for Cleveland’s pass catchers. Do not expect that to change with the upgraded receiving room and continuous rumors of DeAndre Hopkins coming to town. Chubb is what makes this offense go and for good reason, he is the best running back in the league.

Just how explosive is Nick Chubb?

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Nick Shook of NFL.com released his list of the Top 10 most explosive runners in the NFL and Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb finds himself in special company. Chubb comes in at sixth overall with an explosive score of 86. Noted are Chubb’s 47 rushes of 10 yards or more, the most in the NFL. Shook goes into detail noting that he was initially higher on the list before settling on six for Chubb.

“Chubb’s numbers remain impressive, but Cleveland’s offensive struggles certainly contributed to his sixth-place ranking on this list. Initially, I put him in the top three, partially because of his league-leading 47 runs of 10-plus yards. But a deeper look into his production reveals a symptom of Cleveland’s deficiencies: His success rate was lower than some of his peers on this list, due in part to Cleveland’s blocking giving him an expected yards per carry below four (3.8), and he received the second-most carries (302) among runners in this group. As many know, his top-end speed doesn’t quite stack up with some of the faster backs in this group, either — although his top gear packs some sneaky get-away burst.”

Shook also mentioned that Nick Chubb was the only qualifying running back to have 10 or more first downs over expected (14). This is in addition to his 22 rushes of 10 yards or more.

2022 was the best season in the five-year career of Nick Chubb. Chubb was dominant last season, rushing for a career-high 1,525 yards and 12 touchdowns (tied for career-best) in 17 games. The Browns offense has revolved around him in some capacity since being drafted and rightfully so. Chubb is one of, if not the best running back in the league. Utilizing an elite talent in this manner is just smart offensive strategy. Especially when that talent plays a position with relatively short shelf life.

Just what are the Browns at the bye?

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What exactly are the Cleveland Browns?

There are times such as Monday night that the Cleveland Browns look like they are a complete unit and play competitively against any team in the league. There are other games which they appear to be outmatched and outcoached with no business being on the field. This high level of variance makes evaluating this team particularly difficult.

Offense

Offensively they have shown to be an efficient unit that can put up points. Cleveland’s 25 points per game is tied for sixth in the league as their rushing attack ranks third (164.6 YPG) and passing game is 19th (221.1 YPG).

The Browns offense was the side of the ball that most were concerned with coming into the season. This was due to having Deshaun Watson suspended for 11 games and having to roll with Jacoby Brissett as their quarterback. Brissett has performed admirably and given Cleveland plenty of opportunities to win games, even with his tendency to have the occasional cringeworthy play.

Luckily this side of the ball features the NFL’s best running back in Nick Chubb. Chubb leads the league in rushing (841 yards), rushing touchdowns (10), and rushes for 20 or more yards (9). If Cleveland is going to somehow remain relevant this season it will have to be on the back of Chubb.

Also helping their cause is the performance of Amari Cooper. Cooper has been better than anyone could have imagined with 39 receptions for 553 yards and five touchdowns. Currently Cooper is on pace to have one on his better seasons. If he is able to continue at his current pace Cooper would finish with 83 receptions for 1,174.7 yards, and 11 touchdowns, a new high for touchdowns by three.

Cleveland’s offensive performance week in and week out is far from the biggest issue here. While game plan can be questionable at times, it has largely been successful.

Defense

This is where things turn sour. The Browns defense is allowing 24.9 points per game which is the sixth-most in the league. While it is just under Cleveland’s offensive output average, that is due to a couple lopsided games (both ways) and four of their five losses coming by just nine points. The yards per game departments do not appear to be all that bad, 331.4 total (12th-fewest), 208.3 passing (12th-fewest), and 123.1 rushing (13th-most), this is a case of yards per game numbers not telling the whole story.

There are plenty of marquee names on this defense and on paper they look to be one of the better teams in the league there are clear issues. The names on the Browns defense suggest it should be a better unit, but they have usually been a disappointment this season. Blame falls on multiple fronts here. From Andrew Berry to Joe Woods to the players themselves. Berry did not address the defensive interior in an adequate manner. Woods’ scheme and coaching has been a disaster. The players have blown coverages and appear lost on a near weekly basis. This is a problem and will continue to be until it is addressed in an adequate manner.

The only saving grace for this side of the ball is Myles Garrett. Garrett’s 7.5 sacks is fifth in the league, and eight tackles for loss ranks fourth. The performance of Garrett each and every week keeps this Cleveland defense from being completely useless.

Special teams

The Brown special teams continue to be less than special. Penalties at crucial times, blocked/tipped kicks, and bad decisions in the return game have been Mike Preifer’s calling card. To be blunt Priefer is bad at his job and should no longer be employed.

Coaching

This is where things get tricky. Kevin Stefanski is an excellent play and scheme designer. Play-calling is certainly above average. This may not be the most popular statement, but in game decision making and overall management of the game is incredibly average. There are times when it appears that Stefanski just lacks a feel for the game. With the way the Browns go about their business feel is not something that will be taken into account very often. The result is a lot of advanced metrics that absolutely love their decision making even though it can be questionable at times. Overall Stefanski appears to be a solid coach with areas he is strong in and others that need improvement.

Outlook

Cleveland is 3-5 and have three tough games on their schedule following their bye. The Browns will take on Miami and Buffalo on the road before coming home to face Tampa Bay. These are not games that Cleveland should be favored in and for good reason. These are clearly superior opponents who will likely give the Browns more than they can handle. Should Cleveland somehow win one or even two of these games things will get interesting. Watson returns in Week 13 as they embark on a slightly less difficult stretch against Houston, Cincinnati, Baltimore, New Orleans, Washington, and Pittsburgh, four of which are on the road.

The win over Cincinnati certainly gives Cleveland some life, but the early inexcusable losses may have put them too far behind the eight ball to go on a meaningful six-game run with Watson.

Browns get needed win over Bengals

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The Cleveland Browns were able to defeat the visiting Cincinnati Bengals 32-13.

It was a house of horrors Monday night, but not for the Browns. Cleveland came away with a decisive Halloween night victory over the Bengals, at one point leading 25-0 over their division rival. In fact the defense was able to keep Cincinnati off the scoreboard until early in the 4th quarter. This was the all around performance that the Browns have been looking for all season and it came at a very crucial time.

The Browns outgained Cincinnati 440-229 and dominated time of possession 36:45 to 23:15. Both teams committed two turnovers with all coming before the half. Neither team was able to capitalize off their forced turnovers as the results were a missed field goal, punt, another fumble, and a second missed field goal. The game was less sloppy in the second half, but it was the Browns who got a head start with their 11-0 halftime lead, being able to build upon it with three second half touchdowns.

A big factor for Cleveland was the play of their defense as they played like a cohesive unit for one of just a few times this season. While the defense started off on the wrong foot, being called for 12 men on the field for the first play of the game, they rebounded quite nicely. The Browns kept Cincinnati’s rushing attack in check, limiting the Bengals to 36 yards on 10 carries. This surprising performance combined with the Browns sacking Joe Burrow five times added up to a great outing for the defensive unit.

Offensive highlights

Nick Chubb led the rushing attack with 101 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. This was the third 20+ carry outing for Chubb this season and just like the other two it was a Browns win.

It was a highly involved night for Kareem Hunt, finishing with 11 rushes for 42 yards and four receptions for 30 yards. After the last two games saw Hunt carry the ball nine times, it was a return to an increased workload for the 27-year old ballcarrier.

Cleveland’s leading receiver was Amari Cooper reeling in five passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. Cooper’s touchdown came late in the 3rd quarter as the Browns took a four-score lead.

Donovan Peoples-Jones also had a productive night with four receptions for 81 yards. The former Michigan wideout has at least 71 yards in four of his last five games and has become a very productive complimentary receiver in the Browns passing attack.

Aside from a gross lost fumble it was an efficient outing from Jacoby Brissett. Brissett was 17-22 for 278 yards and one touchdown while being sacked twice. This was the highest yardage output of the season for Brissett and his 133.7 rating was the best in his eight starts.

Defensive dominance

Making his front yard Halloween decorations come to life was Myles Garrett. Garrett totaled 1.5 sacks and hit Burrow four times in the contest. It was a very impactful night for the former first overall pick.

Leading the Browns in tackles was Sione Takitaki. It was the best game of Takitaki’s career up to this point, totaling 13 tackles (six solo) and sacking Burrow once. The sack forced a fumble which was recovered by Tommy Togiai late in the 2nd quarter. With how poorly the Browns linebacker corps have performed this year hopefully this is a sign of things to come from Takitaki as this Cleveland defense desperately needs it.

Also registering sacks in the contest were Deion Jones, Isaiah Thomas, and Taven Bryan. It was the first sack of Thomas’ career, the first in Cleveland for Jones, and Taven’s half was the second straight game getting to the quarterback.

A.J. Green was able to continue an impressive streak for the Browns defense and an unfortunate one for Burrow. Burrow has now thrown an interception on the opening drive in three consecutive games.

Looking ahead

Cleveland sits at 3-5 as they head into a much needed bye week. The Browns have plenty of injuries and need to get healthy. They also need to tighten a lot of things up on both sides of the ball. There have been plenty of times that an underwhelming Browns team has dominated a good opponent with nothing to show for it at year’s end. The tough stretch ahead post-bye is very intimidating and will dictate the success or failure for the rest of the season. If the Browns can somehow keep things afloat until Deshaun Watson comes back things will get interesting down the stretch.

Browns dominated by Patriots

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The Cleveland Browns were no match for the New England Patriots in their 38-15 loss.

Different week, same story. The Cleveland Browns lost their third consecutive game, this time a 23-point drubbing courtesy of the visiting New England Patriots. For those who wanted the game to feel different that wish was granted. Cleveland was clearly outmatched from the start as the best coach of all time, Bill Belichick, was more than prepared for what the Browns had to offer.

Kevin Stefanski was forced into having to ease into the run game rather than lead with it, resulting in a lopsided pass-run play call ratio early on which did not correct itself. Jacoby Brissett was called upon to attempt 45 passes while Nick Chubb only rushed 12 times for 56 yards. Brissett’s 21 completions for 266 yards, an inconsequential touchdown, two interceptions, and four sacks led to an unspectacular 18.6 QBR. Meanwhile it was Bailey Zappe looking like an All-Pro against Cleveland’s terrible defense, finishing 24-34 for 309 yards with two touchdowns and being sacked just twice. Both sacks came from the one and only Myles Garrett, Cleveland’s new franchise leader in sacks.

Late in the game the Browns were faced with what should have been an easy decision, kicking an extra-point. Overthinking the situation resulted in a botched two-point attempt and Cleveland being down nine instead of eight. While the defense would later make this decision moot, Kevin Stefanski did not put his team in position to win. Whatever the advanced metric is used to make this decision should be thrown in the garbage. It is about playing the game situation and at the time going for two with time left in the game was unnecessary. The missed attempt forced Cleveland into attempting an onside kick which a penalty overturned their recovery.

Looking ahead

The Browns are now 2-4 on the season after playing what was considered to be the easy part of their schedule. Multiple blown leads have resulted in three losses which should not be. Cleveland is now about to embark on the more difficult stretch of their season. More complete debacles like this loss to New England could become the norm rather than the outlier.

Bill Belichick praises Njoku, Chubb

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The New England Patriots head coach heaped praise upon the two Cleveland Browns players.

The Cleveland Browns will be taking on the New England Patriots this week and as per usual it is head coach Bill Belichick praising opposing players. This week Belichick spoke highly of David Njoku and Nick Chubb. Comparing the tight end to Browns legend Ozzie Newsome and saying Chubb is “as good as anybody” they will see.

On one hand it is nice to hear the best coach of all time compliment Njoku and Chubb. On the other it is something that happens each and every week, even when the player(s) he is talking about may not be all that impressive. Usually it is a bit of a giveaway of who the Patriots plan to have a specific game plan for. Chubb currently leads the league in rushing and Njoku is off to the best start of his career. Continued success is expected for the former while the latter still has to prove to be a consistent performer.

Bill Belichick also said that Cleveland’s defense was “fast”, about the only compliment that can be given. The Browns defense has struggled all season long and it does not appear that they will turn things around any time soon.

Nick Chubb is simply incredible

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The Cleveland Browns running back is currently outpacing 25 teams in one particular area.

Nick Chubb is the best running back in football, but that is not news. The Cleveland Browns running back’s 459 rushing yards this season is second in the NFL currently, but that is only part of the story. Chubb has 15 runs of 10 or more yards this season which is more than 25 other teams.

Cleveland is a run heavy offense which also gives a sizable amount of touches to Kareem Hunt, also known as the best second running back of any team in football. Add in that the team is currently quarterbacked by the serviceable Jacoby Brissett while they wait for Deshaun Watson to return from suspension it only makes this more impressive. Nick Chubb being productive on game day is simply inevitable and there is no stopping him. Opposing teams just hope to slow him down somehow and most of the time that really does not do all that much.