Browns Rumors: Kareem Hunt already visiting Cleveland after Chubb injury
Cleveland Browns head coach may have given the most obvious sentiment in the wake of the Nick Chubb injury when he told reporters "there's no replacing Nick Chubb".
Indeed, that's the case. Chubb has been called by many the best pure runner in the NFL. So with him now out for the season following the Monday Night Football injury against the rival Steelers, there isn't a player that the Browns truly have access to adding that can replace Chubb in the backfield.
There is, however, one player who could fit right in -- and the Browns are already meeting with him on Tuesday.
According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Browns have veteran Kareem Hunt visiting Cleveland on Tuesday. Hunt spent the last four seasons with the Browns, playing 49 games in total for the organization and racking up 1,874 rushing yards, 973 receiving yards, and 23 total touchdowns over that span.
Given Hunt's familiarity with Stefanski and the offense, he would be a natural fit. Jerome Ford performed well in Chubb's stead after the injury on Monday night, but the Browns need more bodies in the building. More importantly, they might be more comfortable with multiple players shouldering the load. That should open the door for Hunt and it wouldn't be at all surprising to see him re-signed to the Browns sooner rather than later.
Browns Rumors: Does Cleveland have an out for Deshaun Watson's contract?
If you're starting to think that the Browns might be wholly screwed with Deshaun Watson, you aren't alone.
When Cleveland traded for the much-maligned quarterback from the Houston Texans, they inked Watson to what has widely been reported as a fully guaranteed contract that runs through the end of the 2026 season. He's owed $46 million in base salary in each of the next two seasons. Most importantly, though, he hasn't looked remotely worth that money since his suspension ended at the end of last season.
After a poor 22-of-40, 235-yard performance with one touchdown and one interception in the loss to the Steelers, Watson is still under 400 yards passing for the season with a 2:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio after the first two weeks. And as mentioned, it might seem like the organization is stuck with him at quarterback because of the contract.
But is there a potential out that we might not be seeing?
The simple answer is, unfortunately, not really. For signing this contract and it going badly, the Browns will have to pay for their sins eventually. And there really isn't a feasible out for the club -- any out is going to carry a monstrous dead cap hit -- before the end of the 2025 season, as Jack Duffin of Orange and Brown Report noted breaking down the situation. They could potentially, depending on how they opt to use restructures in the next two offseasons, move on from him in 2026.
Duffin's ultimate conclusion, however, was that the Browns "best" option is to hope that Watson pulls it together before midseason. If he doesn't, then they could bench him for Dorian Thompson-Robinson, the rookie who created a ton of buzz in the offseason. After that, they could move on from Stefanski after this season and try to find a head coach to "salvage" Watson.
All told, there isn't a good option with Watson. It's something that, for better or worse, that Browns fans are going to have to ride out for a while. The hope is that there is far less "worse" than there has been to start his tenure in Cleveland.
Browns Rumors: Ludicrous Nick Chubb replacement from NFL outsider
Back on the topic of Nick Chubb replacements, someone like a Kareem Hunt or even Leonard Fournette to pair with Jerome Ford in the backfield makes a ton of sense for the Browns. There can be a timeshare to hopefully replicate the production and effectiveness of Chubb situationally between multiple players.
Then we have one NFL outsider's opinion. FS1 host Craig Carton floated an idea that is truly unthinkable as a reaction to the Chubb injury: Trading for Saquon Barkley.
Let's start in the immediate, which is the fact that Barkley was also injured in Week 2 and is likely to miss until at least the end of September with a sprained ankle. Not exactly the ideal replacement we're looking for.
Beyond that, it only looks like a worse idea. For one, Barkley would cost an excessive amount for a pending free agent, much less one with a less-than-stellar injury history. On top of that, there is no world right now where the Giants are trading him. They may have plenty of questions, but New York is also off to a 1-1 start and not out of any playoff picture yet by any stretch. Subsequently, they aren't moving on from the heartbeat of their offense.
It's a truly absurd concoction of a half-baked idea from Carton. The Browns indeed have to find a way to replace Nick Chubb. But they also have to do it in the real world, not in Madden.
