BEREA — Dylan Sampson didn't need to have Nick Chubb 's legacy explained to him. The newest Browns running back, even as a different kind of runner than Chubb, knows all about him.
"Definitely been watching Nick Chubb over the years," Sampson said on a conference call moments after Cleveland selected him with pick No. 126 in the fourth round of the NFL draft. "He's a different type of runner than me. Just the violence he plays with when he's healthy, he's one of the best backs in the league. He's definitely a staple in that program."
Well, about that "staple in that program" part. Sampson's selection, coupled with the Browns taking Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins with the No. 36 pick in the second round the night before, may be the signal that Chubb's days in Cleveland have come to an end.
Chubb, the Browns' No. 3 all-time rusher, remains unsigned as an unrestricted free agent. His 2023 was cut short by a Week 2 major knee injury, which also cost him the first six games of last season, which then ended with a broken foot in the third quarter of a Week 15 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs .
There's not a complete closing of the door on a Chubb return, even though the Browns running back group currently stands at four. Along with Judkins and Sampson, they return Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr. , both of whom are entering their contract years.
"I'd say not necessarily, but the complexion of our running back room has changed this weekend," general manager Andrew Berry said. "And so, as we work through the undrafted free agency process, maybe take a breath on Sunday, we'll reassess kind of where the roster is and what opportunities are available to us on the veteran market, and then we'll operate from there."
Whether or not the Browns and Chubb can come together on a deal won't change what is clearly the direction the team wants to go at running back. That's with Judkins and Sampson as the centerpieces of the next generation of Cleveland running backs.
Both established themselves as individual bell-cow running backs in the SEC, as Judkins spent two seasons as a first-team All-SEC player at Ole Miss before transferring to Ohio State before last season. Sampson was the SEC's Offensive Player of the Year and leading rusher last year for a Volunteers team that lost in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at the eventual national champion Buckeyes .
Judkins and Sampson combined to rush for 6,277 yards over their college careers. Now, they'll try to combine to help lift a Browns running game that ranked 29th in rushing yards per game (94.6 yards) and 28th in rushing attempts per game (23 attempts) last season.
"Definitely super excited," said Judkins, who split time in the Ohio State backfield with TreVeyon Henderson , who was taken No. 38 in the draft by the New England Patriots . "Coming from a backfield where it's been another one-two punch that I come from, you look forward to that, especially as a team player. You know, whatever it takes to win and playing alongside other great players, I think that helps."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns draft could signal end for Nick Chubb in Cleveland
