Defenses stack the box each week with the expectation that the Browns will attempt to run right through them. They’ve guessed correctly, and the Browns have still won that battle every game.
Chubb has been the catalyst with performances of 141, 87 and 113 rushing yards to open the year. A Pro Bowler each of the last three seasons, he appears to have found another gear as a runner and has displayed an impressive array of jump cuts and juke moves to go along with the same downhill running style he’s shown since Cleveland drafted him 35th overall in 2018. He’s even appeared to add more hurdle attempts to his game this year as he attempts to fight for every yard.
It’s the same type of “reckless abandon” that Hunt has always carried in his tool belt, too, although his rushing numbers aren’t nearly as high as Chubb’s in 2022. Hunt has 36 carries for 151 yards and has averaged 4.2 yards per carry, a drop from the 4.9 yards he averaged last year.
The Browns still won’t hesitate to give either of them the ball, and Hunt has enjoyed watching Chubb find another layer of aggression to his game.
“He took that out of my playbook,” he said with a laugh. “Nah, I’m just messing with him. Nick’s a heck of a tailback. He can do that stuff, too. I love to see when he does it. It gets me pumped and excited.”
Players with the rare skills Chubb and Hunt carry look even better when an offensive line moves defenders in the manner the Browns’ big men have done.
That work has been highlighted even further by guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller, who are each building Pro Bowl seasons again after they both were voted in last year. They’ve been the best guard tandem in the league since Teller became a starter on the right side in 2020, and the Browns have maximized their run game by using the two heavyweights to pull around the line and plow defenders away from whoever has the ball.
Teller ranks second among guards with an 84.4 run block grade from Pro Football Focus. Bitonio ranks 10th with a…
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