Browns star running back expected to return for Week 7 matchup with Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals will have an additional weapon to worry about during their Week 7 matchup with the Cleveland Browns as star running back Nick Chubb is expected to make his long-awaited return to game action.

Nick Chubb is expected to play vs. Bengals in Week 7

Chubb hasn't played in an NFL game since Week 2 of the 2023 season when he suffered a serious knee injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He underwent two separate surgeries on the knee and did a whole lot of rehab, and now he's finally ready to get back out on the game field.

This is obviously great news for Chubb and the Browns, but perhaps not such great news for the Bengals, who have struggled against the run this season. Although after such a long layoff, it's fair to wonder how much Chubb will actually play against Cincinnati. The Browns could understandably want to ease him back into action.

Prior to getting injured last season, Chubb was an absolute force for the Browns. He recorded four consecutive 1,000-plus yard seasons from 2019 to 2022, and he made the Pro Bowl in each of those four seasons. He came just four yards short of hitting the 1,000-yard mark the previous season as a rookie. He was clearly one of the best backs in the league pre-injury, so all eyes will be on how he looks in his first game back.

Chubb will join a backfield that also includes Jerome Ford and D'Onta Foreman, and his addition should help what has been a struggling unit. Through six games, the Browns have mustered just 583 total rushing yards, which equates to 97.2 yards per game. Only six teams in the league have generated fewer total yards on the ground so far this season and only four teams are getting less production from their ground game on a weekly basis.

Chubb's teammates are understandably excited about his upcoming return, both from a personal and a professional perspective.

“Nick is a leader. Nick is a guy who comes in and he’s been working really hard to come back and be himself,” Foreman said of Chubb. “So I’m excited for him and excited to see what he does when he gets back. We’ve all been rooting for him. He’s one of us. He’s one of the guys. He’s been a leader in this organization for a long time, so excited for him for sure.”

We'll have to wait to see exactly how much Chubb plays against the Bengals, but his pending return is now absolutely something that Cincinnati's coaching staff must prepare for. Chubb has put up 100-plus yards on the Bengals on several separate occasions in the past, and they definitely don't want to let him do that again in his first game back.