From Tom Brady’s television debut to the return of starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, there are many talking points surrounding the Cleveland Browns’ Week 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys. But perhaps one of the most important of these is the fact that Nick Chubb remains on the Physically Unable to Play (PUP) list.
Deshaun Watson is back, but Nick Chubb is out
The Cleveland Browns will host America’s Team on Sunday afternoon, which means they can expect a television audience of 25 million viewers, leading the league. That’s exactly what the Dallas Cowboys guarantee when they’re in town. It gets even more exciting when the legendary Tom Brady leads the way as he steps into the locker room for the first time and makes his broadcast debut on FOX Sports.
On the field, despite the more prestigious reputation of their opponents on Sunday, the Browns are coming off an encouraging performance from last season, battling their way into the playoffs thanks to the NFL’s highest-rated defense. To be clear, the Browns used five different quarterbacks during this run, which makes the accomplishment all the more impressive. This, of course, brings us to Deshaun Watson. To say it’s been a rollercoaster ride for the 28-year-old would be an understatement.
First, there was his then-record contract, which included $46 million in guaranteed salary per year. Then came the controversy surrounding allegations of sexual misconduct against him, which led to an eleven-game suspension and limited appearances in two seasons. Finally, there was his elbow injury, which led to an operation last November that ended his season. Watson’s recovery has reportedly gone exceptionally well, with word from the training ground that he is back to his best. “I challenged myself to get back to that exact moment, and I wanted to make every throw in the spring,” Watson said. “I did that.” Rhetoric aside, there’s no reason to believe the Browns can’t go far this season if Watson stays healthy.
While the situation surrounding Watson is clearly a cause for celebration for Browns fans, there is a compromise with this star running back Nick Chubb is expected to miss at least the first four games of the season. If you have been following us, then you know that The 28-year-old is currently recovering from the second major knee surgery of his career, which required two operations. including the ACL tear in December, which normally takes about nine months to heal. He also had to treat a tear in his medial collateral ligament and medial capsule. That means Chubb likely won’t return until Week 8 at the earliest. Although his progress has amazed the Browns staff (see above), the consensus is that they want Chubb long-term and have therefore decided to give him every opportunity for a full recovery. To that end, it will Jerome Ford who covers in his place.
