BEREA — The return of running back Nick Chubb to practice on Wednesday could easily be seen as just what a 1-3 Browns team needed as a shot in the arm. The heart and soul of the team hadn't been on the field for more than a year as he recovered from a catastrophic right knee injury.

Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, though, was only thinking of delivering shots at his teammate.

"Nah, none of that, man," linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah said. "We just want to hit Nick because he's on the scout team. We just look forward to tackling him down to the ground on Wednesday."

Owusu-Koramoah could barely get those words out before the smile started overtaking his face. That smile told it all about what Chubb's teammates felt about seeing him back practicing.

Even if Chubb doesn't play in Sunday's game at the Washington Commanders (3-1), which is far from a certainty, him being on the field should have an impact on the Browns. If nothing else, it's a sign that his return isn't too far away.

"It adds some enthusiasm to the life of the team," Owusu-Koramoah said. "Obviously there's a great force that Nick brings in his preparation, in his talking, in his vibration, he's an anchor for us and even if he knows he's not playing right away, it'll be good for him to be on those sidelines, some voice and even being in practice, it adds a different funk to it."

Chubb, who has been on the physically unable to perform list, was one of three players the Browns designated for return, thus opening their 21-day practice window. Running back Nyheim Hines (knee) was also designated for return from the non-football injury list, while offensive guard Michael Dunn was from the non-football illness list.

All three also were joined on the field by tight end David Njoku. Njoku practiced for just the second time since suffering a high ankle sprain in the season-opening loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

"With any guy that's working through injuries and rehabbing, you're always excited when they're back in pads and that type of thing," head coach Kevin Stefanski said prior to Wednesday's practice. "Nick's been here every day, so he's not far from what we're doing and far from what we're thinking about. He's in every meeting. He's here very early, so this is just the next natural progression for him and for Nyheim and Mike."

Chubb's return, though, was the one that drew the most eyes. His movements on the practice field, at least during the portion open to the media, were closely monitored, no matter how mundane the tasks may have been

Nothing about Chubb's return, though, was mundane. Certainly not within either the locker room or, specifically, among the running backs.

"It's a big emotional lift, just having a big piece of our offense back on the field," running back Jerome Ford told the Beacon Journal. "Just knowing what he's capable of and what he can do. I feel like it's big for us as a team in winning games and big having our brother back. Seeing what he's been through and what he's been able to work past, seeing all of that, I feel like, that's a big part of it, too."

The emotional deflation which the Browns suffered that night in Pittsburgh in Week 2 of last season was obvious. There was a pall which seemed to envelope them after Chubb was injured when Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick rolled into his knee while making a tackle with 14:44 remaining in the second quarter of the Sept. 18, 2023.

That pall gradually lifted as the Browns watched Chubb battle back from two separate surgeries — one to fix damage to the MCL, the medial capsule and meniscus; and one to repair the ACL. It lifted even more as he began to be around the team facility during his recovery and rehab process.

On Wednesday, it completely disappeared.

"Man, I can't even call it," running back Pierre Strong Jr. told the Beacon Journal. "To have him come back, you know, we all love Nick. What he went through, he's been working his tail off since the injury happened. I'm a witness of him. I just see him here before we get here, staying after we leave. To see him continue to work, man, it's just an adrenaline boost in all our bodies just ready to see him get back on the field."

Cleveland's run game has struggled along with the rest of the offense through the first four games. The Browns are 26th in the league in rushing at 94.8 yards per game.

Ford, who became the No. 1 running back for the Browns when Chubb went down last season, has rushed for 203 yards on 39 carries with one touchdown. His best single-game performance was 64 yards on seven carries against the Jaguars, with 36 of those coming on one fourth-down run.

Washington's defense has allowed 136.5 rushing yards a game, which is 23rd in the league. The Arizona Cardinals rushed for 181 yards against the Commanders last Sunday, while no team has rushed for less than 112 yards as a team against them this season.

(This story was updated with comments from teammates after the Browns' practice Wednesday.)

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: Nick Chubb designated for practice return after knee injury by Browns