National Football League

Browns' Nick Chubb squats 585 pounds just eight months after ACL surgery

Published Jul. 15, 2024 2:59 p.m. ET

Nick Chubb is no stranger to big weight on the squat rack.

The Cleveland Browns' standout running back has been known to carry plentiful poundage on his back since his college football days at Georgia, having gone viral several times for lifting 500-plus pounds at times.

It appears the six-year NFL veteran is back to his old tricks after a video of Chubb, who reportedly weighs in at 227 pounds, squatting a whopping 585 pounds — with ease — went viral on Monday.

It was just 10 months ago that Chubb suffered a gruesome knee injury in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers that landed him on IR with season-ending ACL and MCL tears. He underwent surgery to repair his MCL and meniscus, and subsequent surgery to repair his ACL was also necessary.

Those injuries resulted in numerous questions surrounding the durability of his career, especially given that Chubb had suffered a similar injury to the same knee in 2015.

Chubb, 28, began running in April, but he has yet to participate in team drills at OTAs. His status is certainly one of the biggest question marks for the Browns heading into training camp, but the video provided a positive outlook.

"There is a prison in a more ancient part of the world," the video's caption read. It was posted by JOC Films, which has been documenting Chubb's road to recovery. "A pit where men are thrown to suffer and die. But sometimes a man rises from the darkness. Sometimes the pit sends something back. (Batman emoji) @nchubb27."

Like The Dark Knight himself, Chubb has been in the shadows since his pair of surgeries — the latter of which took place in November 2023 — but that doesn't mean he isn't aware of the chatter that's ensued about his limited availability.

In fact, he's using all the outside noise as motivation for his comeback. "I see everything," Chubb said. "It’s not the first time someone has counted me out. So I’ve been here before, and I’m not really paying much attention to it.

"But I do see it, and I’m just focusing on getting better."

Chubb has worked and watched while his naysayers have swirled about. Cleveland, meanwhile, has flashed a figurative bat signal into the night sky as it eagerly awaits his return. Will that be Week 1 against Dallas?

"We'll see," Chubb told reporters with a smirk.

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