Browns RB Nick Chubb makes return from knee injury, scores first rushing TD since 2022

Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (24) celebrates his touchdown in the first half against the Bengals. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Nick Chubb is one of the easiest players in the NFL to root for.

The Cleveland Browns running back overcame a brutal knee injury in college to be one of the NFL’s best running backs for the Cleveland Browns, and then he suffered another gruesome knee injury early last season. After a second knee injury like that, there was no guarantee he’d be back.

Chubb returned on Sunday. And he scored.

Chubb made his 2024 debut and in the second quarter he scored a 1-yard touchdown. It came at the end of a drive in which quarterback Deshaun Watson was carted off with what looked like a serious Achilles injury, which was another reminder of how fleeting life can be in the NFL.

The touchdown was a bonus. Just seeing Chubb back on the field was an inspiring story, no matter how he played on Sunday.

Chubb had not scored a rushing touchdown since Nov. 27, 2022 (he did get a receiving touchdown in that season’s final game). Given what Chubb went through since that last touchdown, the score in his return had to be a special one in his career.