The Browns have attacked their running back situation from multiple angles this offseason. None have involved Nick Chubb.
It sounds as if a reunion is growing less likely with each passing week. General manager Andrew Berry spoke Friday and didn't seem too optimistic the franchise legend would return in 2025.
"I wouldn't rule anything out, but I would say that it's probably increasingly unlikely," Berry said during an appearance on 92.3 The Fan. "We do have two young guys that we liked. We think Jerome (Ford) plays a role. It's basically kind of maybe seeing how the roles shake out in the running back room.
"You're never going to rule out someone as near and dear to our heart as Nick, and I would expect him to take another step being a year removed from the knee injury. But I'd say a return is less likely, at least in the short term, with us right now."
There are plenty of clues suggesting Chubb won't don the brown and orange in 2025. Cleveland let him test free agency in March, spent second- and fourth-round picks on collegiate standouts Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson, and convinced Ford to take a pay cut in order to remain with the team. The running backs room is crowded, and after fans spent weeks yearning for the Browns to re-sign Chubb, even that movement has since dissipated.
Ford's pay cut could have been interpreted in two fashions. On one hand, taking a pay cut makes him easier to retain. Alternatively, less money spent on Ford means there's more available to use to bring Chubb back into the fold.
At this point -- even with rosters at 90 -- the Browns don't seem to be very interested in bringing back Chubb, who ranks third all-time in rushing yards in Browns franchise history behind Pro Football Hall of Famers Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly.
They have plenty of legitimate reasons to turn to other candidates. Chubb didn't look much like himself when he returned from a devastating knee injury last season and saw that campaign end prematurely due to a foot injury. With 1,371 career rushing attempts under his belt and three significant knee injuries in his past -- plus his looming 30th birthday, the dreaded landmark age for running backs -- Cleveland was wise to get younger at the position and didn't shy from doing so.
Berry didn't rule out a reunion entirely, of course, because Chubb could test the market and find he'd rather remain in Cleveland on a team-friendly deal that offers him a chance to earn a spot on the roster. It is telling, however, that the four-time Pro Bowler still hasn't been signed by a team.
With two rookies and Ford on the depth chart, Chubb would have to prove he's taken significant strides to convince the Browns to keep him over one of the younger options. For now, while expressing appreciation for Chubb's contributions to the Browns over the last seven seasons, Cleveland seems content to proceed forward without him.
