Back in February, I wrote about the free-agent replacements for Chris Hubbard, but today’s news makes Cleveland Browns fans excited that they may not need a free agent replacement:
OL Chris Hubbard returning to the #Browns on a one-year deal, per source.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 16, 2022
As a part of a big day of announcements on Wednesday, the Browns announced the acquisition of Amari Cooper and Chase Winovich.
They also signed Jakeem Grant and Taven Bryan in addition to re-signing Anthony Walker Jr. and Chris Hubbard.
Hubbard, an undrafted guard and offensive tackle out of UAB in 2013, played with the Pittsburgh Steelers until 2017.
He got a lot of playoff experience in Pittsburgh.
Then in 2018, the Browns signed Hubbard to a decent deal: five years for $37.5 million.
He started for two years for Cleveland, but then he turned into a very strong backup for a Browns team that experienced a boost at the offensive line.
With 17-game seasons now in the NFL, it is even more important to have good depth, and Hubbard provides that depth.
Hubbard played in just one game before having a season-ending injury in 2021:
#Browns OL Chris Hubbard having surgery today to repair triceps. This from his Instagram account. pic.twitter.com/zpH0sSJagL
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) October 14, 2021
The triceps surgery may have ended his Browns career, but it did not.
The veteran will enter his fifth year with Cleveland in 2022.
Before 2021, the 30-year-old, who will turn 31 in April, had played double-digit games every year from 2016 to 2020.
In 2018 and 2019, he was an ironman, as he played all 1,091 offensive snaps in 2018 and then 97 percent of the team’s offensive snaps in 2019.
He also jumped in for at least 50 special teams snaps in four straight seasons: 2016 to 2020.
How Will Chris Hubbard Help the Browns?
Although Hubbard has not received any accolades during his NFL career — he was All-Conference USA in his senior year at UAB — he still is making an impact.
He has been part of an offensive line in Cleveland that has always finished in the top 11 in rush yards per attempt.
Until 2021, Hubbard had been relatively healthy during his career.
He is getting older, so that may make things difficult for him playing over the age of 30, but he can still help as a backup.
In front of Deshaun Watson — as Chad Johnson predicts — or whoever the “adult” quarterback is in 2022, the Browns offensive line appears to be:
- LT Jedrick Wills Jr.
- LG Joel Bitonio
- C Nick Harris
- RG Wyatt Teller
- RT Jack Conklin
Hubbard will back up Wills and Conklin, and he may also provide depth at the guard position, so it will be exciting to see the veteran offensive lineman back with the Browns.
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