Browns' Nick Chubb reveals 'dark thoughts' when he got injured vs. Steelers

The Cleveland Browns have had a horrible start to the 2024 campaign, as they have limped out to a 1-5 record thanks to some uninspiring play from their offense, led by struggling quarterback Deshaun Watson. While they just traded away star wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills, they are set to get a boost in Week 7 with the return of running back Nick Chubb.

Chubb suffered a gruesome injury in Week 2 of the 2023 campaign for the Browns that saw him tear his MCL and damage his ACL. He has spent the past year working his way back to action, and it certainly has not been an easy path for him. There were certainly a lot of reasons for him to be upset with what happened, but when looking back on his injury, Chubb revealed why “dark thoughts” entered his head as soon as he went down in this game.

“When you get hurt like I got hurt, the weird thing is that you don’t even really feel anything. But you hear everything. You hear that weird silence in the crowd. You can sense your teammates kind of gathering around you. You’re hearing a lot of ‘It’s gonna be alright, bro.' That’s never a good sign. Once guys start getting down on one knee, you know it’s pretty bad. If it’s my teammates praying over me, maybe it’s just a bone bruise. Maybe I’ll be back by the playoffs. But now I got Steelers praying over me? That’s when you know it’s serious. The dark thoughts start creeping in.” – Nick Chubb, The Players Tribune

Nick Chubb set for triumphant return to Browns

This wasn't the first big injury Chubb suffered during his career, as he suffered a similarly horrific injury during his time in college at Georgia that forced him to miss virtually an extended period of time. He battled back from that injury, though, and he's done the same with this one, as he hopes to provide a spark to the Browns lowly offense.

Given the severity of his injury, the Browns are going to ease Chubb back into action, and considering how they traded Cooper away, it doesn't seem like they have any hopes of winning this season. However, there's no doubt this is a big personal win for Chubb, and he will be looking to reestablish himself as one of the top running backs in the game now that he's closing in on a return to the field.