WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. -- With Joe Mixon nursing an ankle injury, Nick Chubb has stepped in for the Houston Texans at running back as he enters the next chapter of his career.
Mixon was placed on the non-football injury list and hasn't practiced throughout training camp, which has given Chubb every opportunity to assert himself into the Texans' run game as he tries to return to the form he had with the Cleveland Browns before injuries derailed his career -- with the final blow coming last season in Week 15 when he broke his foot.
However, Chubb, 29, doesn't believe he is slowing down as he approaches 30 -- an age where running backs historically tend to regress, and the four-time Pro Bowler says he feels good physically.
"The last few years have been a little rough for me," Chubb told ESPN. "I got a chance to go home, get a good offseason, then get back to who I am, and I'm ready to put it all together."
The "30-age" narrative [trying to get some stats from SIG to insert] about running backs is chatter Chubb has heard, but he doesn't subscribe to it. He believes he's in the class with the best. He points to how the Baltimore Ravens' Derrick Henry defied that logic -- rushing for 1,921 yards (11th most in a single season) and 16 touchdowns at age 30 with a new team.
"[Henry] is different," Chubb told ESPN. "You are not gonna put him in that category, he showed it's not true. And I think that applies for me. I'm in the category with them. I'm different, and I feel good as I have been."
Chubb, who ranks third on the Browns' career rushing list after spending his first seven years there, is trying to rewrite his career. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 of the 2023 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That injury also forced him to miss the first six games of 2024 before he returned in Week 7.
Chubb played in eight games last season, but he simply wasn't himself -- as he sits at No. 7 among the NFL's active rushers. Since entering the NFL in 2018, he ranks fourth in rushing yards (6,843) and is tied for ninth in touchdowns (51).
He didn't rush for over 60 yards in a single game in 2024 -- a first in his career. Overall, he ran for 332 yards and recorded career lows in yards per attempt (3.3) and percentage of carries that gained at least 10 yards (4.9%).
Chubb hasn't had many big runs in training camp, but more of that is about the offensive line not giving him the necessary holes. But one aspect coach DeMeco Ryans appreciates is Chubb's physicality during carries as he's trying to barrel through defenders.
Even to the point where Chubb consistently sprints towards the end zone after getting a carry.
"What I hang my hat on with him is that this guy loves football," Ryans said. "He's physical. He plays the right way. He prepares himself the right way. He's a guy who can play physical behind his pads. He can eat out yardage."
With Mixon still out, Chubb takes the majority of the reps with the first-team offense. The only other running back that gets some reps with the starting offense is Dare Ogunbowale. And even then, he's only in for pass-catching plays, as Chubb gets all of the carries with Mixon out and Dameon Pierce on the PUP list.
As the former All-Pro continues to fill the void for Mixon, the Texans hope they can start to see some of the Chubb of old once preseason games get started. The Texans open their slate of exhibition games Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings.