The Nick Chubb show opens in Cleveland
Georgia’s Big Dawg is now the Big Dawg in Cleveland. The Browns traded starting running back Carlos Hyde to Jacksonville on Thursday, clearing the way for the inevitable rise of Nick Chubb to tailback leading man.
The Cleveland Browns traded starting tailback Carlos Hyde to the Jacksonville Jaguars Thursday. Say hello to center stage, Nick Chubb.
With Cleveland only coaxing a fifth-round draft pick from Jacksonville in exchange for the Ohio State alumnus and his newly signed three-year contract, it’s a sure bet the Browns made the trade because they saw something special in Nick Chubb.
With Chubb averaging a whopping 10.8 yards per carry this season for the Browns, Cleveland no doubt sees in Chubb what Georgia fans were treated to for four splendid seasons.
Total package
Chubb is an old-school tackle-shredding fullback with wide receiver speed. Put the two together and you have one-half of the greatest tailback duo in college football history.
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As the feature back in Cleveland’s off again – on again offense, running behind Cleveland’s off again – on again offensive line for on the hot seat again – off the hot seat again head coach Hue Jackson, Hyde struggled to gain 382 yards this season at a 3.4 yards per carry clip.
Nick Chubb clearly is the more dynamic play maker of the two and had been promised more carries. Chubb, widely recognized as underutilized, was going to eventually be the feature back this season. Hyde was going to go somewhere, if only the bench. The trade cleans things up not only on the roster but in the locker room.
This is, after all, why the Browns drafted Nick Chubb.
And in an ironic twist, Chubb will take on the role one-time Georgia tailback Isaiah Crowell played last year.
That’s one-time Running Back U tailback to you.
Fantasy football indicator
If fantasy football chatter is any indication, Chubb’s increased workload will have a huge impact on the Browns offense. Hyde received 71% of the run game touches before the trade. Unless the laws of mathematics have ceased to exist in some Cleveland fantasy world, Chubb’s role in the Cleveland offense will increase dramatically.
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Baker Mayfield’s probably pretty happy, too. Life’s been hard enough for the rookie quarterback in Cleveland, but now he’s guaranteed he won’t have to watch teammates trying drag down a wild bull-impersonating running back like he did in the Rose Bowl.