It was unfortunate that teh Chicago Bears couldn’t land one of the bigger running back names in the NFL draft. Many felt it was a historic class that doesn’t come around often. The team needed a true workhorse in the backfield to ease the burden on D’Andre Swift. Yet for various reasons, they couldn’t pull the trigger until the 7th round. Questions linger about whether the depth chart is strong enough to improve from a disappointing 25th ranking last season. If the draft couldn’t help, maybe free agency can. Enter Nick Chubb.
I reported last month that the Bears were interested in the former Pro Bowler. No deal came about because the team wanted to see how the draft unfolded. Given what happened, assuming they’d revisit bringing Chubb in was reasonable. That was all but confirmed by The Ken Carman Show With Anthony Lima, a local Cleveland radio program. They discussed the probability that Chubb won’t return to the Browns after the team drafted Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson. Not only that, but they have it on good authority that the 29-year-old already has a new team lined up in the NFC North.
The Bears are the only team that makes sense for Nick Chubb.
Green Bay has Josh Jacobs and former 3rd round pick MarShawn Lloyd. Detroit has David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. Minnesota already had Aaron Jones and signed Jordan Mason in free agency. Chicago is the one team with a vacancy that exactly fits what Chubb can do. They have the athletic, change-of-pace back for passing downs in Swift. They need a dependable bruiser who can help wear defenses out with a power-oriented approach. Chubb became a star doing that in Cleveland.
The elephant in the room is obvious. How healthy is he? Everything went sideways for Nick Chubb in 2023 when he suffered a devastating knee injury. The damage was so extensive that he didn’t return until late October of last year. The results were hard to watch. He averaged just 3.3 yards per carry, leaving many to believe he is washed. However, it is worth mentioning he showed signs of improvement towards the end of the season, with three of his final five games reaching 4.4 YPC or better.
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He recently posted workout videos showcasing his trademark explosiveness, which gives one hope that he may have at least one more good year in him.
