3 Browns players who need to get healthy for team to recover

2. Nick Chubb, RB

No matter what your opinion of Mayfield is, there’s no mistaking the fact that the Browns offense starts with the rushing attack. But against the Cardinals, Cleveland was without one of their big horses in the backfield with Nick Chubb being ruled out due to a calf injury suffered in Week 5 against the Chargers.

In Chubb’s absence, the rushing attack just wasn’t as potent. Kareem Hunt filled in before he left the game with his own injury and averaged a quality 4.7 yards per carry. However, a team that has been one of the best at producing explosive plays in the run game didn’t have a rush for more than 17 yards in the game. Moreover, they finished with only 73 rushing yards on 18 carries.

For as good as Hunt is and how well he can be a complement to Chubb, it’s the Georgia product that is the engine that makes the rushing attack go. He’s arguably the best pure runner in the NFL, even if he doesn’t offer much in the passing game.

Especially with the quarterback injury coloring this situation, the Browns need to get Chubb back in the fold. Yes, getting the offensive line healthy (more on that in a second) will help the run game as well, but Cleveland is just a much different and much better offense when they have Chubb in the fold.