PHILADELPHIA — Browns running back Nick Chubb has been giving the Browns defense excellent looks on the scout team, and he’s almost ready to make his historic return to the field from his second major left knee reconstruction.
With the Browns designating Chubb to return from the Physically Unable to Perform list on Oct. 3, his 21-day practice window is narrowing, and he’s expected to come bolting out of the tunnel next week against the Bengals and play for the first time since suffering the injury in Week 2 of last season in Pittsburgh.
It will be a momentous occasion for the Browns and Chubb considering that even running backs coach Duce Staley can’t remember another NFL running back who’s come back from two major reconstructions of the same knee. Several NFL players have returned from two ACL surgeries on the same knee, but Chubb has torn every ligament in the knee at least once, and several twice. This time around, he also tore the meniscus and medial capsule.
But he proved everyone wrong the first time he blew out his knee at Georgia, and is on the verge of doing it again, if all goes well in practice this week. With the Browns at 1-4 heading into Sunday’s game here against the 2-2 Eagles, the Browns’ playoffs hopes are fading fast, and they need a boost. Chubb’s return would certainly qualify, and hopefully for the Browns, they’ll be coming off a victory as they return to Huntington Bank Field for the first time since Sept. 22nd against the Giants.
Denzel Ward set to face the Eagles
It’s been a trying season so far for Ward, who suffered his fifth concussion during training camp, and a shoulder injury that limited him to 11 snaps in the victory over the Jaguars. Last Sunday in Washington, Ward left the game with a hamstring injury and sat out practice on Wednesday and Thursday. But he returned on Friday, and is expected to play on Sunday, at least on a limited basis.
That’s good news for the Browns, with the Eagles getting starting receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith back.
Ward has been the Browns best cornerback this season, and is the Browns’ 12-ranked player on defense, according to Pro Football Focus. Even a part-time Ward will help tremendously, especially with the Browns down three of their best safeties in Juan Thornhill (IR, calf), Grant Delpit (concussion) and Ronnie Hickman (ankle).
The Browns will start safeties Rodney McLeod and D’Anthony Bell, and it’s a huge opportunity for Bell against some of the best offensive players in the NFL, including running back Saquon Barkley.
Outlook for Deshaun Watson
Kevin Stefanski stuck with Watson this week because the Browns believe he’ll rebound from his worst game of the season against the Commanders, one in which he didn’t play well from the jump. Watson acknowledged that he pressed during the game, and tried to do too much. Against the Eagles, he vowed to take it one play at a time, and not go big-play hunting as much to get the Browns back in the game.
The Browns might return to some of the basics this week, but they believe Watson should have opportunities to make plays this game and look more like the good quarterback he was in the 20-16 loss to the Raiders. Stefanski never gave a thought to benching him this week, and believes he’ll fare better with a good gameplan and better play from the supporting cast.
With David Njoku playing despite suffering a knee injury against the Commanders to go along with his sprained ankle, Watson will have his top two weapons on the field in Amari Cooper and Njoku, and Jack Conklin will either start or get some playing time, presumably at right tackle.
OT Jack Conklin returns
Conklin, who had major reconstructive knee surgery last September, will make his much-anticipated return against the Eagles on Sunday, possibly in his old spot as the starting right tackle, or possibly platooning with Dawand Jones, who’s off to a slow start this season while coming back from MCL surgery.
Jones is ranked 17th out of 24 offensive Browns players with a 50.2 grade according to Pro Football Focus.
Jedrick Wills Jr. plays well
Wills, who was back in the starting lineup at left tackle last week after aggravating his knee injury and sitting out the week before, played well during Sunday’s 34-13 loss to the Commanders, one of the few bright spots on offense.
Wills was ranked the third-best offensive Browns player with a 66.3 mark according to Pro Football Focus, and the highest-rated Browns offensive lineman.
Jerry Jeudy has been one of few offensive bright spots
Jeudy’s quick acclimation to the new scheme and to Watson has been one of the bright spots of a bad start to the season.
“Jerry’s done a good job being able to be flexible within our offense and that’s created some of his opportunities that we’ve allowed him to move around the formation,” said receivers coach Chad O’Shea. “And he’s gone out there and made plays for us, and he’s also made plays on some things that what we call ‘off schedule,’ In some of the scramble situations, he’s done a great job of uncovering and being a good separator and playing fast in that area to create some plays for our offense. So that’s been an area that has been unscripted for Jerry that I’ve been really impressed with is his ability to play off schedule and make some of those plays. And I’m very impressed with his separation ability, but he’s in that position because he’s smart enough to handle moving him to where we need to use his skillset.”
He said Jeudy has natural streetball instincts.
“It’s like he’s in the backyard in Florida and he’s just playing with the guys and he’s uncovering and he’s the one that ends up open,” O’Shea said. “So I think a lot of it is an instinctive trait, but I also think it’s something we work really hard on.”
Amari Cooper responding to his adversity
The Browns have appreciated Cooper’s response to his uneven start to the season, and the tone he’s set by working his way out of it.
“Very important,” O’Shea said.”Amari is one of our leaders on our team and on our offense, and a lot of times how he goes, the others go. His actions speak louder than his words. We know that in him. But the way in which he’s responded to some of the adversity that he’s had early in the season says a lot about him and I know it’s contagious to our locker room. If they see Amari responding the way in which he has, which I’m very impressed with the way he’s responded, he’s been very positive. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do and he’s really concentrating on today.”
Fortunately for Cooper, he hasn’t given a thought to the Browns trading him if they lose a few more games, but those calls for him and others will certainly come in prior to the Nov. 5 deadline if they don’t turn things around.
Why all the drops?
Deshaun Watson has had 12 of his passes dropped this season, more than any other quarterback. Amari Cooper has an uncharacteristic five of those drops, including sure TDs in each of the first two weeks.
Receivers coach Chad O’Shea acknowledged that his players are working hard fundamentally to correct the problem.
“The way I always look at drops is, ‘Hey, we need to go and do it more. We need to catch the ball more,’” O’Shea said. “So we have definitely addressed that at practice. We have done things from a practice standpoint, from an individual drill standpoint to really focus in on the fundamentals of catching the ball. There is always going to be a fundamental early in the season that needs to improve. The glaring one for us that we need to improve is catching the football.”
Jerry Jeudy, who dropped a pass in the end zone in Washington, said it has nothing to do with whether or not Watson is throwing a catchable ball.
“We just have to catch the ball,” he said.
Outlook for C Ethan Pocic and LG Wyatt Teller
The Browns will have their hands full on Sunday against the Eagles’ premier defensive tackles without starting center Ethan Pocic (knee) and right guard Wyatt Teller (IR, knee). Nick Harris will start at center, and Michael Dunn might replace or spell rookie Zak Zinter, who was limited on Wednesday and Thursday with a knee injury. Zinter has started in place of Teller the past two games.
The Eagles have two excellent tackles in Jalen Carter and nosetackle Jordan Davis who will try to get a strong push up the middle.
It remains to be seen if Pocic will need a few weeks, and Teller is eligible to come off IR on Oct. 27th with his sprained MCL. He recently started running and is making good progress.
Za’Darius Smith a late addition to the injury report
Smith was added to the injury report on Friday as limited with an ankle injury. It’s significant because Smith is the only other defender on the roster because Myles Garrett (four sacks) with more than 1.5 sacks. Smith has 3.0. The Browns will face two big, excellent offensive tackles Sunday in Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata.
Roster moves
On Saturday, the Browns activated linebacker Mohamoud Diabate (reserve/injured), defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. (exempt/Commissioner permission) and defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II (reserve/injured).
In addition, they placed offensive tackle James Hudson III (shoulder) on injured reserve and terminated the contract of WR James Proche II. The club also elevated S Christopher Edmonds and WR Jaelon Darden.
Hall make his season debut after serving a five-game suspension under the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy following a domestic incident.
Diabate, who made two tackles in the season opener, was placed on injured reserve with a hip injury on Sept. 11 and was designated for return on Oct. 9. Hurst, placed on IR with an ankle injury Sept. 11, started the season opener at defensive tackle and recorded three tackles.
Hudson, who underwent surgery on the shoulder on Thursday, started three games at left tackle this season.
Edmonds (6-2, 210), an undrafted rookie out of Arizona State, has spent the entire season on the Browns’ practice squad. Edmonds will wear No. 41.
Darden (5-8, 175) is in his third NFL season out of North Texas. Originally selected by Tampa Bay in the fourth round in 2021, Darden has appeared in 25 career games, including four with the Browns. He’s registered 61 career punt returns for 598 yards (9.8 average) and 27 kickoffs for 565 yards (20.9 average). Darden will wear No. 16.
