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CLEVELAND, Ohio a News travels fast these days, and Browns rookie running back Nick Chubb found out from one of his Georgia coaches that Carlos Hyde had been traded.
“(He) texted me. ‘Looks like your time’s up. You’re going to get some more carries,'” Chubb said Monday. “I kind of just shook it off. I thought he was just saying my time would eventually come and I paid no attention to it. Then my phone started blowing up with texts and social media.
“I looked into it and saw he was traded. I didn’t believe it. I got a call from Duke Johnson. We were surprised. We just talked it out. We didn’t understand why or what happened. It was a shock to everyone.”
Signed as a free agent in the offseason, Hyde was the Browns’ workhorse back before being shipped to the Jaguars for a fifth-round pick in 2019. Chubb was immediately installed as the starter.
“I know for me, personally, I was enjoying playing with him and learning from him, and he taught me so much in just the time we were here,” said Chubb, who gained 80 yards on 18 carries in Sunday’s 26-23 overtime loss to the Bucs. “But it is what it is. Gotta keep moving forward.”
He said Hyde taught him “how to be a professional, take care of your body, watch extra film. He taught me some things in pass protection, running the ball and knowing exactly what you’re looking at instead of just running the ball like I did when I was younger. He taught me a lot in a short time, and I was looking forward to learning more from him.”
Jackson says ‘no doubt’ he has support of Haslams, Dorsey
Chubb, the Browns’ second-round pick, scored a fourth-quarter touchdown Sunday and was later stopped on third and goal from the 2. On next play, he tried to push Baker Mayfield over the line, to no avail.
Chubb appreciates the vote of confidence, but said a lot more went into the trade then just him.
“(It’s) a belief in not only me, but the offensive line does a great job making it easier for the running back,” he said. “I still have a veteran guy in Duke Johnson helping me out, and it’s a lot of support from everyone on this team, so I’m just happy to be here and be playing from the Cleveland Browns.”
Head coach Hue Jackson said trading Hyde was an organizational decision, but admitted it wasn’t easy two days before the game.
“The way it came down — what Jacksonville’s needs were, what they were willing to do for us, our roster, the players that we had at the position — you know how some of these things go,” Jackson said. “It’s either take it or leave it. We felt very good about the situation that we were in so we made the decision. I do not think that there was anything wrong with that.”
He said he talked to the players about it Saturday morning.
“I told them what I knew the situation was and why it happened. They understood,” he said. “For some guys, that is a brother. That is a brotherhood in that locker room. You lose one who is a huge member. For a second there, you can make it about that. I think our players handled it the right way.
“After we discussed it and talked about it, then we moved forward.”
He said the Hyde trade wasn’t simply an effort to get Chubb the ball more.
“I know that’s the way that it looks,” he said. “If you take one player from the equation, the next guy’s going to get more carries. “That’s natural. Was it the easiest way to do it? I think that there are all kinds of ways to do it, but the bottom line, it wasn’t done.”
He said Chubb played well against the Bucs.
“Ran hard, ran strong and did some really good things yesterday,” he said.
He’ll face a stiff challenge Sunday in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers are 11th in the NFL in run defense, allowing only 98.7 yards per game.
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