24 July 2023 , 11:20
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Cleveland Browns star Nick Chubb has spoken honestly about his concern around the running back position in the NFL.
Chubb is one of the star running backs in the league, after being drafted with the No. 35 overall pick in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The 2022 season saw Chubb amass 1,525 rushing yards with 302 carries and 12 touchdowns.
However, there has been growing concern around the running back position over the course of this off-season. Such concern involves the players not being paid what they are worth by franchises.
Other players, such as Dalvin Cook at the Minnesota Vikings, have been released this off-season. While fellow running backs Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants and Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders were handed the franchise tag - a one year deal that pays the position the league average, rather than a more lucrative long term contract.
Chubb was part of a Zoom call on Sunday hosted by fellow running backs to hold talks about the current concerns. ESPN reported that Jacobs, Barkley, Christian McCaffrey ( San Francisco 49ers ) and Derrick Henry ( Tennessee Titans ) were all present for the call.
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Jacobs did not sign his franchise tag with the Raiders before the deadline on July 17. Now the earliest the two parties can negotiate a long-term deal is in the 2024 off-season.
As one of the star players of the Browns’ offense, Chubb has spoken about the current situation with running backs.
"Right now, there's really nothing we can do," Chubb told ESPN. "We're kind of handcuffed with the situation.
“We're the only position that our production hurts us the most. If we go out there and run 2,000 yards with so many carries, the next year they're going to say, you're probably worn down. It's tough. It hurts us at the end of the day."
Cleveland Browns star Nick Chubb scored 12 touchdowns during the 2022 NFL season (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)Chubb was also asked about the situation with Barkley and the Giants. After being handed a $10.1 million (£7.9 million) franchise tag, which he did not sign, the future around Barkley at the NFC East team is uncertain.
As a fellow running back, Chubb believes that Barkley deserves to be paid according to what he is worth to both the NFL and the organisation he represents.
"We're definitely in a tough situation, running backs as a whole,” said Chubb. “Saquon's a great player, and you can ask anyone around the league or even on the Giants how much he means to that team.
“So it's hard seeing him not get what he deserves.”