Nick Chubb is trending in the right direction, with the Cleveland Browns running back potentially close to a return after a devastating knee injury suffered early in the 2023 NFL season.

Chubb, a centerpiece for the Browns offense, has been out for over a year thanks to a grisly injury that required two surgeries. The running back has returned to practice in recent days, however, and Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski hasn’t completely ruled out a return before Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

‘Anything is possible,’ Stefanski said in remarks published by Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. ‘With Nick I don’t want to get too far beyond today.’

Here’s what to know about Chubb’s status:

When will Nick Chubb return?

The Browns have been non-committal about a return date for Chubb. The running back started the season on the PUP list, and on October 2 the Browns opened his 21-day practice window (a mechanism that allows NFL teams to let inactive players practice before adding them to the active roster).

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Chubb was officially limited in the build-up to Cleveland’s 34-13 loss to the Washington Commanders, and as of Wednesday remained a limited participant as the Browns practiced with media present. Camryn Justice of WEWS reported that Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski plans to remove some of those limitations as this week goes on, but the Browns have not yet declared when Chubb will return to NFL action.

On Tuesday, Cleveland waived three players, and cut three more from the team’s practice squad. Per NFL rules, the Browns have until October 23 to either activate Chubb or keep him on the PUP list for the remainder of the season, which requires having an open roster spot for him to occupy.

Between now and the deadline on a Chubb decision, Cleveland faces a Week 6 road game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, before a huge AFC North home game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

When was Nick Chubb’s injury?

The incident came barely five quarters into last season, with Chubb suffering a gruesome knee injury in a road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Chubb was carted off, and was eventually diagnosed with tears of both his anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament, as well as a torn meniscus and a medial capsule requiring repair. The injury required two separate surgeries.

Browns RB depth chart

As of Wednesday, the Browns listed three players as running backs on their depth chart:

Jerome Ford
D’Onta Foreman
Pierre Strong Jr.

Nyheim Hines is also on Cleveland’s roster, though the offseason addition remains on the non-football injury list after suffering a knee injury last year in a jet-skiing accident.

Without Chubb last year, the Browns leaded on Ford and Kareem Hunt (who signed with the Kansas City Chiefs during the offseason) to handle the bulk of the rushing load. That duo would end up totaling 339 carries for 1,224 yards and 13 touchdowns, with Ford putting up most of the yards and Hunt scoring nine touchdowns.

Thus far in 2024, it’s been mostly Ford, who has 48 of the team’s 111 rushing attempts. Foreman has also been a factor, while quarterback Deshaun Watson has also run the ball 25 times. The Browns have struggled thus far on the ground, with the team’s 483 rushing yards ranking 29th out of 32 teams heading into Week 6.

When the New York Jets returned from their Week 5 trip from London, owner Woody Johnson decided it was time for a shift in the organization. Following the Jets’ Week 5 loss to the Vikings, the team announced they fired coach Robert Saleh. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has been named the interim head coach.

Since 2000, there have been 12 instances where an interim head coach has shed the ‘interim’ tag and transitioned to ‘head coach’ with their respective teams. This season, the Las Vegas Raiders’ Antonio Pierce became the first interim coach in seven years to be named head coach.

With Saleh’s firing coming just five games into the 2024 regular season, Ulbrich has ample time to prove himself to the organization. Most notably, Bill Belichick is not listed among the possible candidates. Defensive coaches have been at a disadvantage throughout the NFL hiring cycles. Just 16 of the last 42 head coaching hires have been defensive coaches, while 27 have been offensive. This is over the previous six offseasons.

AARON RODGERS-ROBERT SALEH TIMELINE: Where did it all go wrong?

Here are the latest Jets next head coach odds at DraftKings Sportsbook:

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Jets next head coach odds

Ben Johnson +300

Detroit’s highly coveted offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, is the current leader in the Jets’ next head coach odds. The 38-year-old was arguably the hottest name in the head coaching market last offseason. Since he became the play-caller, the Detroit Lions have been a top-five offense by nearly all metrics. Johnson has turned down multiple opportunities to stay with Detroit in hopes of winning a Super Bowl with the Lions.

Bobby Slowik +400

Slowik might not be a household name in the public eye, but he is well-known around the league. He is the play-caller behind C.J. Stroud’s ascension with the Houston Texans. He hails from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree after spending six seasons as an assistant with the 49ers. Last offseason, he interviewed with five teams before signing an extension to stay in Houston.

Mike Vrabel +500

Some would say Vrabel is currently the best head coaching candidate available. The Jets organization could benefit from his old-school approach, which earned him plenty of respect and success during his time with the Titans. He went 54-45 as the Titans’ head coach. Vrabel is taking a season away from the game on the sidelines, but is currently a personnel consultant with the Cleveland Browns organization.

Jeff Ulbrich +500

Ulbrich has been the Jets’ defensive coordinator since joining the organization in 2021 as a member of Saleh’s coaching staff. Over the last two seasons, the Jets have finished fourth (2022) and third (2023) overall in total defense. In 2023, the Jets allowed a league-low 4.6 yards per play. Since 2021, the Jets defense has allowed the second-lowest yards per game in the NFL.

Kliff Kingsbury +1000

The former Arizona Cardinals head coach is quickly climbing the head coaching candidate ranks again in the NFL with the Washington Commanders. He’s done an outstanding job coaching Jayden Daniels to begin 2024. As an offensive coordinator, he has proven terrific with dynamic quarterbacks who can throw and run. Aaron Rodgers doesn’t fit that mold at this stage in his career, so the quarterback situation would likely need to be different in New York to make this hiring make sense.

Aaron Glenn +1000

Surprisingly, the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator has not been given a head coaching opportunity to this point in his career. Glenn was interviewed for head coaching roles in the previous four offseasons but has yet to be chosen. He is a widely respected voice around the league and will be a top candidate next offseason.

Klint Kubiak +1200

Not far down the board is another product of Kyle Shanahan’s coaching tree. One of the quietest coaching moves in 2024 came when the New Orleans Saints let go of longtime offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, who had been with the team since 2006. New Orleans hired Klint Kubiak, son of Gary Kubiak, to be their new OC. Klint was a passing game specialist for the 49ers before taking the Saints job.

His zone-running scheme, which his father revolutionized, is ideal for a modern-day offense. It increases the use of play-action passing, which most offenses benefit from. Derek Carr leads the NFL in play-action this season.

Brian Flores +1200

The man who just coached a Minnesota Vikings defense that intercepted Aaron Rodgers three times in London is listed as a possible replacement for Saleh. Flores is in his second season as Minnesota’s defensive coordinator and has his unit clicking on all cylinders to start 2024. His stint as a head coach in Miami went poorly, but he’s highly regarded as one of the best defensive coaches in the league. He went 24-25 during his time with the Dolphins. His aggressive play-calling style would be an exciting feature added to the Jets’ terrific young defense.

Kirby Smart +1400

The head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs is the most surprising name on this list. He led Georgia to back-to-back College Football Playoff national championships (2021, 2022). He has led the program to an outstanding 94-16 record since his hiring in 2015. Last summer, he was asked about his interest in coaching in the NFL, and his response didn’t leave much to the imagination for NFL fans. He said, “I don’t right now. I never say never to anything, but it’s not something that I’m passionate about. I love the relationship with the college kids, and it’s been fun doing it here at the alma mater. It’s something you want to do for a long time and you want to have a lot of success.”

Todd Monken +1400

Monken has stacked successful seasons together for a half dozen years. He is an older candidate than others listed but recently coached Lamar Jackson to his second MVP award. He was the offensive coordinator for Georgia during their most recent national championships in 2021 and 2022. He is a well-respected offensive mind around the league and has the Baltimore Ravens offense off to another strong start in 2024.

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He left last week for his compound in Texas, a few days away during the open week to refocus and recalibrate from it all.

It didn’t take long to jump right back into the circus. 

“As quick as they jump on (the bandwagon),” Deion Sanders said Tuesday during his weekly press conference at Colorado, “They can jump off.”

And away we go. 

Just in case you haven’t been tagging along — and honestly, who hasn’t been living vicariously through Prime? — the Buffs nearly lost the season opener against an Championship Subdivision school, still can’t protect star quarterback Shedeur Sanders, were embarrassed at Nebraska, beat Baylor in overtime with the help of a prayer of a Hail Mary at the end of regulation, won by 27 on the road (as a 13½-point underdog) against Central Florida, and have the best player in college football in wideout/cornerback Travis Hunter.  

Before Sanders could get resettled in Boulder, his athletic director Rick George publicly declared that he wanted Deion to finish his career at Colorado — no doubt in response to the constant drumbeat of speculation that Sanders is moving to another, bigger job once his son Shedeur leaves for the the NFL after this season.

Meanwhile, in the one area that matters more than any: preseason Big 12 favorite Kansas State travels to Boulder Saturday in the most anticipated Colorado game in years.

This, like it or not, is a referendum game for Sanders. He and his staff have had two weeks to prepare for the Wildcats, and the environment will be unlike anything at Colorado since the Buffs hung 62 on hate Nebraska in 2001.

Now is not the time to shrink amid the expectations. From the team that lost eight of nine games to finish last season and was an operational mess by the time it ended, to a program loaded with expectations. 

“We expect the results when we put in the work,” Sanders said. “We shouldn’t be surprised of where we are.”

MESS TO CLEAN: Can Lincoln Riley get Southern California on track?

BOWL PROJECTIONS: Wild Week 6 overhauls College Football Playoff

That doesn’t mean he isn’t keeping receipts on those who don’t/didn’t believe. 

This is the beauty and the curse of Deion. When you’re calling out those who don’t believe in what you’re selling (and building), every game becomes a flashpoint. 

Every bad play. Every bad call. Every bad decision.

Every loss is “I told you so,” every win is “So, what’s next?”

If Colorado beats Kansas State — the same K-State that, despite a rout of a loss to Brigham Young last month, is still the most complete team in the Big 12 — it’s not another step in the buildout. 

It becomes how far can Deion and the Buffs really take this thing? Because I’m not sure there’s enough Tylenol on the planet to peel Deion’s detractors off the ceiling if Colorado wins the Big 12 and advances to the College Football Playoff. 

Frankly, I’m not sure there’s a big enough stage to support Deion’s self-promotion.

“I know who it is,” Deion says without hesitation about critics. “I definitely know who said what for my purposes.”

That’s equal parts ego and old school motivation from years past. When you’re two decades removed from the thrill and fuel of competing at the highest level of football, that juice doesn’t just magically go away. 

It’s a competition void, a beast that constantly needs to be fed.

So instead of firing back years ago at those who said he was just a cover corner and couldn’t tackle, or that he wasn’t good enough to play Major League Baseball and was just a sideshow .200 hitter, or that he can’t play both professional sports in one season (or in the same week), that juice now arrives with doubt of coaching acumen. 

He hears all of it, and the former professional athlete in him can’t ignore it. It’s his DNA. 

You’ve heard it all by now, including but not limited to: all he cares about is promoting his sons. He’s not a program builder, he’s a carnival barker. 

He doesn’t care about Colorado, he’s only using it to facilitate his son’s (and Hunter’s) transition to the NFL. Once that plan unfolds, Prime is off to the next show and conquest. 

And on and on and on. 

Maybe that’s why George decided this week to say he’s happy with everything Deion has accomplished, and what the future looks like. 

“I think what he has done has been incredible,” George said. 

Who knows if Sanders stays beyond his son’s final season at Colorado, or if his philosophical idea of program building through the transfer portal sticks long-term?

Colorado had 82 of 85 new scholarship players in 2023, and swapped out 40 more in 2024. When the Buffs show up Saturday for the biggest game in years, only four of 22 starters were recruited from high school and developed — three of whom were recruited in the last two seasons under Sanders. 

This season began with six new assistant coaches, including both coordinators. Whether Deion wants to admit it or not, this thing — by nature and development — is transitional.

Everyone looking for a quick payoff, be it money or championships or validation. 

As quickly as they jump on, they can and will jump off.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X @MattHayesCFB.

SAN DIEGO − Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. are the Batman and Robin of the San Diego Padres.

They have absurd talents, with Tatis hitting a two-run home run in the Padres’ zany 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday night in Game 3 of National League Division Series, sending the sellout crowd of 47,774 into utter hysterics.

“Man, when I hit it, I don’t know, I just blacked out,’’ Tatis said. “I started screaming at my dugout, just the energy through the roof.’’

The two annoy the daylights out of the opposition.

“That is kind of part of their game,’’ Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said, “trying to get under your skin and trying to have the emotion come out.’’

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And as Machado demonstrated with a brilliant baserunning maneuver that was perfectly legal, leaving the Dodgers befuddled, they can leave the opposition exasperated with their intellect.

“That’s the highest IQ in baseball,’’ Tatis said of Machado. “When you see plays like that, and you know right away what you need to do, especially in games like that, that’s why Manny’s Manny.’

The dynamic duo went to work in the second inning after Mookie Betts hit a first-inning homer.

Machado, the man the Dodgers and their fans love to hate, led off the second inning with a sharp single to center. It looked like it would be wasted when rookie Jackson Merrill hit a sharp ground ball to first baseman Freddie Freeman. Freeman snared the ball, fell to his knees, and was ready to start a double play.

“I instantly knew what I was going to do,’’ Machado said. “Just knowing the rules. We’ve been practicing that all spring training, and it came up in a big situation.’’

Machado, sensing that Freeman’s throw would be from a difficult angle, made it even harder by veering onto the infield grass instead of running straight to second base.

“I could have run to right field if I wanted to,’’ Machado said. “I knew that I could create any path I wanted running to second once that path is created.

“You just go to know the rules, and you got to know what to do when you have the opportunity.’’

Freeman threw the ball, but with Machado impeding his vision as he threw to shortstop Miguel Rojas at second base, the ball clipped off Machado’s shoulder and bounced harmlessly away from Rojas. Everyone was safe and Freeman was charged with a throwing error.

“You can create your own basepath if you’re not avoiding a tag,’’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It was a heady play.’’

Really, a brilliant play, with Machado knowing the rules as if he were an umpire.

“Really good baseball play by Manny,’’ said Padres manager Mike Shildt, who was visited afterwards by Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa, his mentor. “Basically, the baserunner can create his own baseline until there’s an actual attempted play on him. So, at that point you can run inside the line just like he did and force a throw to be like it is. You can do it from any base.

“As soon as the fielder has to make an attempt to a play, now the baseline has been established and you can go from there.

The Dodgers suddenly became unglued. Xander Bogaerts hit a sharp grounder to Rojas, but instead of another double play, Rojas ran to second-base only for Merrill to beat him to the bag and his throw to first was too late to catch Bogaerts.

Before the Dodgers knew it, the Padres had a 6-1 lead after Tatis slammed Walker Buehler’s 0-and-2 fastball into the seats.

“This rally wouldn’t have started,’’ Tatis said, “if (Machado) hadn’t made that play. That’s how huge and how big that was for us.’’

Of course, it was Tatis who made the Dodgers pay the ultimate price with his latest heroics and a postseason for the ages.

Tatis is hitting .555 in the first five games of this postseason with four homers, two doubles and seven RBI. His 1.970 OPS is the second-highest by any player in the first five games of a postseason.

“It’s just beautiful, definitely rewarding through everything I’ve been through, what we’ve been through as a group,’’ said Tatis, who missed 2 ½ months this season with a stress reaction in his right femur, and was suspended for PED use when the Padres were in the postseason in 2022. “When you play baseball like this in the postseason, you get all those memories back. You just feel grateful where you’re at.

“I’m just embracing every single moment and definitely not taking it for granted.’’

It may be too early to call him the West Coast version of Mr. October, but he’s certainly on his way.

“Obviously, you get a lot of hitters that lock into October,’’ said Padres starter Michael King, who gave up five runs in five innings, and was the winning pitcher thanks to four shutout innings by the bullpen. “Sometimes it’s a superstar. Sometimes it’s not a superstar. But seeing superstar lock in like he has, it’s really impressive.

“It’s must-see TV.’’

Tatis could be showcasing his postseason splendor for the next few weeks with the way the Padres are playing. They have to beat the Dodgers one more time in this best-of-five series to reach the NLCS for the second time in three years.

The Padres, who have been aggressive with their trades and their style of play all season, aren’t about to stop now. They decided to go with starter Dylan Cease, who they acquired in spring training from the Chicago White Sox, to pitch on short rest Wednesday.

“I feel great, and I’m ready to do this,’’ said Cease, who gave up five earned runs in 3 ⅓ innings in the Padres’ 7-5 loss to the Dodgers in Game 1. “They told me a few days ago they might do this, so I’m prepared. I’m looking forward to it.’’

The Dodgers will utilize their bullpen, opting to save Game 1 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto for a potential Game 5 at Dodger Stadium, .

“Certainly, not a great situation,’’ Roberts said, “but as far as kind of winning a ballgame (Wednesday), I think we’re in a really good spot.

“I feel good with the length and the quality that we have for a potential Game 5.’’

The Padres will tell you they don’t care who the Dodgers pitch.

They don’t stress about Shohei Ohtani, who has been shut down since his Game 1 homer.

They don’t worry about the difficulty of beating the Dodgers in three consecutive games.

They believe this is their time, and this is the year they win that first World Series in franchise history.

“Definitely no fear,’’ Tatis said. “That’s something that you build through the years, getting experience playing against those guys. No fear.

“We’re just showing up and playing ball.’’

And winning a whole lot of games in the month of October.

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The San Francisco 49ers running back won’t play Thursday night against the Seattle Seahawks as he continues to recover from calf and Achilles tendinitis issues.

McCaffrey has been on Injured Reserve since Week 2. Thursday’s Week 6 contest marks the first game that McCaffrey is eligible to be activated off IR.

“His plan is to continue his rehab, and every day you try to push the rehab more and more each day,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday.

When will Christian McCaffrey play this season?

There’s growing optimism that McCaffrey will return to the lineup sooner rather than later for the defending NFC champions. McCaffrey is ramping up as he eyes a return.

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The 49ers host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7 in a Super Bowl 58 rematch. In Week 8, San Francisco is at home against the Dallas Cowboys. The team has a Week 9 bye. There are rumors that McCaffrey could return before the team’s bye or right after the break.

San Francisco tight end George Kittle told Bay Area radio station KNBR that he’s looking forward to McCaffrey playing again this season. ‘His lockers right next to mine, so I see him every day,’ Kittle said. ‘Christian McCaffrey will play football this year, so I’m excited about that.’

Running back Jordan Mason has been a pleasant surprise for the 49ers in McCaffrey’s absence. Mason’s 536 rushing yards rank second in the NFL entering Week 6. Still, the 49ers miss the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year’s overall production in the run and pass game.

McCaffrey produced 2,205 rushing yards, 20 rushing touchdowns, 119 catches, 1,028 receiving yards, and 11 touchdown receptions in 27 regular-season games in San Francisco. The 49ers acquired McCaffrey in a blockbuster trade with the Carolina Panthers in October 2022.

The 2-3 49ers are looking up at the 3-2 Seahawks at the top of the NFC West as they enter their divisional showdown on ‘Thursday Night Football.’

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Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia drew a lot of comparisons to Heisman-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel after Pavia led the Commodores to a shocking 40-35 upset over the then-No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide.

He caught the attention of Manziel himself.

‘Sitting there watching the whole thing play out… feels like 2012 for me,’ Manziel told Pavia, surprising him during an interview on ESPN.

In 2012, Manziel jumped onto the national scene and won the Heisman trophy after leading the Texas A&M Aggies to a 29–24 victory over the No. 1 Crimson Tide, recording 345 total yards and two touchdowns in the upset. On Saturday, Pavia led Vanderbilt to an upset on their own and completed 16-of-20 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to 20 carries for 56 yards. It marked Vanderbilt’s first victory over Alabama since 1984.

Pavia said Manziel is his favorite quarterback, adding that they ‘have a lot of the same play style.’

‘I think we bring the same electric mentality to the football field,’ Pavia said. ‘We both are big believers in ourself and I feel like — I haven’t got the chance to talk to Johnny (Manziel) yet — but we’re wired different. We’ll do anything to win.’

Pavia didn’t have to wait much longer to talk to his idol. Manziel joined the broadcast, prompting Pavia to smile and exclaim, ‘Oh (expletive)!’ Manziel was equally complimentary of Pavia, saying, ‘Man, what an awesome game. So fun to watch. I couldn’t be happier for you… I appreciate you showing me a lot of love and I hope I get the chance to come on here and show the same thing.’

Pavia invited Manziel out to a Vanderbilt game — ‘We’re electric down here’ — and Manziel accepted: ‘I’m going to try to come make it out and see you guys in Nashville. We guys have been on a heck of a run this season.’

Manziel gave some final words of advice ahead of Vanderbilt’s matchup against Kentucky on Saturday: ‘Use that momentum that you guys have this past week and have fun.’