Chubb: Browns trending in right direction
CLEVELAND — Browns running back Nick Chubb said he’s established in Northeast Ohio and it was time to give something back — thus his well-attended youth football camp at Cleveland Benedictine High School on Friday afternoon.
“I love the city, my team. I love the fans and it’s finally time to do a camp and give back to the kids here,” he said.
But even with the focus being on the camp, Chubb, not known for being loquacious, volunteered that it’s good to be back.
“I’m pumped. I have a great feeling about this season coming into it,” he said. “We made some great changes. It feels good to be back.”
Some of those changes have come at quarterback, with the acquisition of Deshaun Watson and Baker Mayfield’s inevitable departure. Others, such as the release of center JC Tretter, came on the offensive line and some new blood will be injected via draft picks.
And one of Chubb’s backfield running mates, D’ernest Johnson, received a tender offer from the team that he has yet to sign.
“D’ernest, that’s my friend. He’s been through a lot,” he said. “He’s proved himself every year, so he definitely deserves to play.”
One of the most significant changes became official Friday when wide receiver Jarvis Landry signed a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints. Landry has been given a significant amount of credit for turning the team’s culture of losing around since his arrival. Landry was released in March, but the door remained open for a possible return.
Circumstances, including drafting wide receiver David Bell, the Big Ten wide receiver of the year, who possesses a similar skillset as Landry, likely played a role in his decision sign with the Saints.
Chubb said he’s sorry to see one of his best friends on the team go.
“One hundred percent. He’s been here since I’ve been here.
We came in together. We’ve been through everything together — great teammate, great person,” Cubb said. “I won’t be playing with him anymore, but he’s still one of my best friends, one of my brothers. That won’t change from that perspective.”
His overall assessment of the offseason? “I think we’re going in the right direction,” he said.
Chubb said he’s now working in the team’s offseason program. Given a video that showed him squatting 675 pounds that went viral earlier this week, it’s apparent he worked away from Berea. It was the most he’s ever lifted, he said of the exercise he does once a year.for now, he said he’s just ready to get back to work:
“It’s great to see the guys, see the team ... but we got a long way to go.”