BEREA — Tough doesn't begin to describe what it's like to bring down Nick Chubb. Just ask any number of NFL defenders what it's like to get the Browns running back on the ground.

It turns out what many a defender couldn't do, a devastating knee injury last September did, in a completely different way.

"I was down mentally for a while," Chubb said after a Browns OTA on June 5. "Just when you get hurt, I mean, it's one thing. But when you get hurt again and you already know what you’ve got to go through and the entire process — surgery, rehab — it's a nonstop battle every day."

Chubb, who will be the guest speaker for Friday night's Greater Akron-Canton High School Sports Awards at the Akron Civic Theatre, had not been a stranger to the pain he felt in his left knee on Sept. 18. That's when Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick barreled into his leg, which led to the second significant knee injury of his football career.

While still in college at the University of Georgia in 2015, Chubb tore three ligaments in that same knee during a game against Tennessee. None of those three ligaments were the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Almost nine years later, as Chubb lay on the field in Pittsburgh, there was a moment of self-remorse coursing through him.

"Yeah, I mean, of course just kind of asking why?" Chubb said. "Why again? But that's part of my story. It is what it is."

Chubb's injury required not one, but two separate surgeries. The first, which was done Sept. 29, repaired damage to the medial collateral ligament (MCL), the medial capsule and meniscus.

However, in the process of doing that surgery, it was discovered the ACL was ruptured as well. Chubb had that surgically repaired on Nov. 14.

All of this put Chubb back on a familiar path. That may have provided the biggest frustration to the four-time Pro Bowler, but also provided the biggest source of motivation at the thought of, once again, losing the thing he loves.

That may not have been the thought that turned Chubb's stomach the most. That may have been the thought that others really believed he wasn't going to come back.

“I use that as motivation," Chubb said. "I see everything. It's not the first time someone has counted me out, so I've been here before, and I'm not really paying much attention to it. But I do see it, and I'm just focusing on getting better.”

The initial reaction to Chubb's injury was devastation in the Browns locker room. From there, it elevated into inspiration, as his teammates dedicated the remainder of the season — they were just 1-1 at the time — to him as a way to pay tribute.

Chubb eventually got to see his teammates' work up close and personal. He was back around the team daily by the final month of the season, which allowed him to feel the energy from them as they made a push to the playoffs.

"I think the biggest thing is just being around the building," Chubb said. "I probably don't say much, but I come on the field and on a game day and I just work and I think guys notice that and they started to see that, and when I wasn't there you saw more guys doing a little extra more just because and they helped us out."

Chubb was back around his teammates again as they wrapped up the offseason program with last week's minicamp. Although he wasn't able to do anything football-related on the field, he was able to be on the field with his teammates, offering up suggestions when he felt it appropriate.

The rehab, Chubb admits, has gone well, if not a bit repetitive, both from his previous surgery while in college and just from the routine of it all. He started straight-line running in the spring, but no one was willing to put an exact date on when he'll be back on the field playing.

"I know everybody wants to know, you know, when and ‘When’s he gonna do this? When’s he gonna do that?" Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said on June 5. "I know this — he is working like crazy. And I get to witness it in our building, I get to see him in our meetings. He’s a huge, huge part of our program. He’s a huge part of what we do."

Football, and working hard at his craft, is a huge part of what Chubb does. It's the thing that's driven him to overcome knee injuries serious enough to require surgeries both in college and the pros.

It's the reason why Chubb flashed a wry grin and said, "We'll see, I don't know" when asked if he could see himself being back for Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys. After all, what the 2015 injury didn't do was cost him any games during the 2016 and 2017.

"I'm doing everything I can at this point and I'm right where I want to be," Chubb said. "And when that time happens, when I feel great, I'll be on the field."

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 overcomes mental fight in latest rehab from knee injury