Personal coach discusses recovery of Browns' Nick Chubb

Personal running backs coach Brad Lester recently told Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he couldn't even "tell" which knee Cleveland Browns ball-carrier Nick Chubb is rehabbing during offseason workouts.

"I will honestly say I have never seen anyone recover as fast as he has so far," Lester said about Chubb for a piece updated on Friday. "After certain movements, I was kind of like, 'How do you feel?' And he’d say, 'I was fine.' I was like, 'Man, this is pretty impressive.' To be seven months out and he didn’t have any pains in the workout."

Chubb suffered a torn ACL, torn MCL, torn meniscus and torn medial capsule playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 18 of last year. While such an injury can threaten the career of any player, Chubb signed a reworked contract with the Browns this offseason largely because of what he means to the club as a leader and locker-room presence.

Of course, individuals within Cleveland's front office are hopeful that Chubb will ultimately reclaim the form that made him a four-time Pro Bowl selection and one of the best overall running backs in the NFL from 2019 through the 2022 season. Lester even suggested the 28-year-old could possibly take the field for the Browns' regular-season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 8.

"But I also wouldn’t push it too much," Lester added during his comments. "Take your time, because you want to have them for (the) long haul. You want to have them around the Week 7, 8, 9 when you’re fighting for the division championship."

The Browns want Chubb to play a pivotal part in quarterback Deshaun Watson ideally becoming an elite player at the position working with new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. While history shows that Chubb may never return to what he was when at his best, Lester isn't betting against the 2018 second-round draft pick ahead of training camp.

"I don’t see why he wouldn’t be ready to get back this year," Lester said about Chubb.