After Round 4 of the NFL Draft was wrapped up, things were looking just a bit confusing down in Berea.
The Cleveland Browns had just used another pick on a running back, making it two that the team had utilized on a back in the draft. They had also utilized their recently acquired 36th overall pick to select Quinshon Judkins, and then they added Dylan Sampson to that room in the 4th round.
Clearly, Cleveland was feeling good about these two players falling to them. Sampson and Judkins were some of the better running backs left in the draft after both Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton landed with teams in the first round. But, there's an obvious question looming over the Browns' decision making here after taking Sampson: what does this mean for Nick Chubb's future?
Well, there may be an answer to that soon according to one Browns insider, and it's not going to please any fans.
Browns insider suggests Chubb is about to sign with NFC North team
According to Ken Carman, a host on 92.3 The Fan, Chubb is likely walking this offseason to take a deal with another team - specifically, a team in the NFC North.
“Are we ready to say goodbye to Nick Chubb? I heard he is kind of getting close to another team…it happens to be in the NFC North," said Carman on an airing of his show on The Fan.
Now, let's zoom out and consider Chubb's options if this rumor is true. The NFC North features the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and Green Bay Packers. It's a strong division. The Packers and Lions were atop the standings in rushing yards per game, so it feels like we could reasonably eliminate them from contention to land Chubb.
That leaves the Vikings, who have Aaron Jones in their backfield, and the Bears, who have D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson in theirs. It feels like Chicago is the team to monitor for Chubb's services, then, especially when considering they have $10.5 million in cap space to work with to land him.
It'd be a bit more tolerable to see Chubb land not just outside of the AFC North, but outside of the conference altogether. They do face the Bears once in 2025, on the road in Chicago, so that'd be bittersweet. But, it just seems like both sides are ready to move on and allow the other to grow in the directions they're growing in - the Browns with their light rebuild, and Chubb with his true comeback.
