Nick Chubb DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Free-agent veteran running back Nick Chubb is returning to Cleveland to sign a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Browns, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Chubb previously announced his retirement from the NFL at the end of August after spending seven of his eight seasons in the league in Cleveland. The 30-year-old was drafted in the second round (35th overall) by the Browns in 2018 from Georgia. He had a run of four straight years in which he made the Pro Bowl from 2019 to 2022, a stretch that included four straight 1,000-yard seasons with 40 rushing touchdowns and two receiving scores in 59 starts. Everything changed in 2023, though, when Chubb tore his ACL, MCL, and meniscus in his knee. He was never the same after that, carrying the ball 224 times for 838 yards and six touchdowns in 23 games over the last two seasons with the Browns and Houston Texans. Chubb will finish his NFL career with 7,349 rushing yards and 54 touchdowns on 1,462 carries (5.0 yards per carry) in 100 regular-season games played. He added 141 catches for 1,109 yards and another five scores through the air.

According to Tom Pelissero, free-agent running back Nick Chubb has decided to retire from the NFL after eight seasons. Before his gruesome leg injury, Chubb was one of the most feared backs in the league. He earned four Pro Bowl appearances and second-team All-Pro honors during his playing time with the Cleveland Browns. He was selected in the second-round by Cleveland during the 2018 draft. He rushed for 7,349 yards, scoring 54 touchdowns, while snagging 141 receptions for 1,109 receiving yards, and five additional scores through the air. He spent most of his time with the Browns before playing with the Houston Texans in 2025. Best of luck to the 30-year-old on whatever he decides to do after football.

In the conversation of the best pure runner in the league as recently as three years ago, four-time Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb has been unable to return to form since the devastating knee injury that ended his 2023 season, and the 30-year-old former second-round pick remains unsigned ahead of 2026 training camps. In his first full season back since the injury, Chubb played 15 games for the Houston Texans in 2025, but lacking the contact balance that made him one of the game's true elites through his first five seasons with the Browns, he ran for only 506 yards on 122 carries. Prior to the injury, Chubb had averaged 5.3 yards per carry in his brilliant career, but that number has fallen to 3.7 in his 23 games since. While a running back injury somewhere across the league could keep the door open for him to return for a ninth professional season, Chubb has fallen to RotoBaller's dynasty RB99, and his days of fantasy relevance appear to be squarely behind him.