Browns' Nick Chubb Puts Aside 'Dark Thoughts,' Sends Heartfelt Message Ahead of Return

The injury suffered by star Browns running back Nick Chubb in Week 2 of the 2023 season was gruesome, one that could have--and would have, for some--ended his NFL career. Chubb tore all the CL's in his left knee: the ACL, the MCL and the PCL.

As he recalled, having injured his knee before while in college at Georgia, things got gloomy fast. "The dark thoughts start creeping in," Chubb said of the time after the injury.

But Chubb has returned to practice for the Browns, and reports hold that he will finally make his appearance in a Cleveland uniform again this Sunday for the Week 7 battle vs. the Bengals.

It could be a huge boost for the Browns, who are struggling at 1-5 and could use a jolt of good news in what has been a miserable season. Chubb, after all, is a four-time Pro Bowl running back who rushed for 1,525 yards in 2023, the most in franchise history since the great Jim Brown.

In a letter/story penned for The Players Tribune on Wednesday, Chubb expressed his gratitude to both the Browns as an organization and the supportive fans in Cleveland. Chubb, remember, could have been let go altogether by the Browns, but the team instead gave him a one-year, $6.3 million contract , according to Spotrac.

"What’s amazing to me is how much support I had from the city of Cleveland," Chubb wrote. "I know I’m not a guy who says a lot, but I do read the comments. I saw how much love you guys showed for me. In the NFL these days, that’s rare. It seemed like at times Browns fans were the only ones who weren’t seeing it as 'just a business.'

"You believed, so I believed."

Chubb relayed a story from his brief free agency that summed up the gratitude he felt toward the team and fans.

After getting his new contract offer, "When my agent called me to tell me the news, he said, 'I’ve never actually had a front office tell me anything like this. But they said that part of the reason they never entertained cutting you is because of how much you mean to the city .'"

Chubb continued: "That really meant the world to me. Look, I know the deal. I had no guaranteed money left. The Browns had all the leverage. They could’ve left me high and dry, like so many guys in this league. But they had my back. You all had my back."

Related: Browns Make Final Call on RB Nick Chubb's Return to Game Action