Could The Browns Trade Nick Chubb? Which Teams May Be A Good Fit?

Cleveland Browns fans are outraged about articles speculating the Browns might trade All-Pro running back Nicholas Chubb. But it might make sense for the Browns to cash out with a big haul while they can.

Chubb has the most rushing yards of any back since 2021. He has recorded 1,000-yard seasons every year since 2019. Last year, he set career highs in rushing yards (1,525) and total touchdowns (13). He’ll be 28 years old and still has a couple of good years ahead of him, but his cap hit this year is $14.9 million, and it will balloon to $16.2 million next season.

The Browns want to become a pass-heavy team. Do they still need a cap-killing running back who is approaching age 30?

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Latest Nick Chubb Trade News

Last season, there were trade rumors surrounding Kareem Hunt, but the Browns didn’t move him, and they didn’t use him much during the season, either. Now Hunt is a free agent, and the buzz surrounds Nick Chubb.

One first piece of information is a speculative ESPN article proposing bold moves for each NFL team. Chubb is getting expensive, the Deshaun Watson experiment failed miserably, and the Browns need receiver help to try to salvage his immovable contract, a team of Football Outsiders writers wrote. It was an opinion article, but it represents what some are thinking of Chubb’s contract.

The other article, which is more grounded in reporting, was Matthew Berry’s dispatch from Indianapolis, the site of the NFL Scouting Combine. He said sources (unnamed, of course) are telling him the Browns' offense next season could consist of 40 passes a game for Watson and just a dozen or so rushes for Chubb. Would it really be worth paying that much for an elite running back who is only touching the ball 15 times a game?

It’s all conjecture. Even if there were a named source behind Berry’s piece, that can only tell us so much; we’re five months away from the season, and game plans change. But multiple Browns fan podcasters were outraged about the reports, calling them “outrageous” and “dumb” on YouTube.

Will The Browns Trade Nick Chubb?

Nick Chubb is one of the top five running backs in the NFL. There is little doubt about that. But what some outraged fans are missing is that when a team trades, the goal is to get equal value back. Perhaps it’s easy to for Browns fans to forget that given the recent history of their team’s trades. The Panthers got four draft picks in the second through fifth rounds for Christian McCaffrey.

Chubb is less valuable than CMC, to be sure. According to the PFF mock draft simulator, the Browns could possibly get a mid-to-late second-round pick for Chubb. Getting a skilled rookie on a first contract would be a value, but the Browns most likely could not find any team willing to give them a first for Chubb. Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot also wrote the Browns wouldn’t get a first.

Most NFL players will never be as good at their position as Nick Chubb is, so exchanging him for a gamble in the second round is not a good move for a team that wants to think it can win now. Given that Chubb is playing like a top-five RB, his cap hit, which would be the fifth-highest at the position, is not that extreme. Ultimately, the Browns are unlikely to trade Chubb.

Who Should The Browns Trade Nick Chubb To?

There is uncertainty in a lot of backfields now, and a lot can happen in free agency and the draft that can change teams’ calculations. If other teams in need of an elite RB cannot find one in the draft or free agency, they might make an offer. When the Browns ultimately come around to the realization that they need to trade Chubb, who should they deal him to?

The Detroit Lions could need a new running back in the not-so-distant future, as they are reportedly considering moving on from D’Andre Swift. Including Swift as part of the trade would be interesting; he could fit better with a pass-heavy Browns offense.

The Miami Dolphins also need a running back, as all of their 2022 RBs are free agents. A powerful bell-cow could take some strain off Tua Tagovailoa and still keep the offense humming when Tua is injured.

Other teams that should consider taking Chubb off the Browns’ hands include the Buffalo Bills, the Denver Broncos, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Arizona Cardinals.

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