The Cleveland Browns have made a few moves to keep pieces of their team together including the returns of Anthony Walker Jr. and Chris Hubbard. The Hubbard signing, along with the addition of center Ethan Pocic, keeps the strength and depth of the offensive line at the top of the league.
The Hubbard news was reported two weeks ago but just became official on the NFL’s transaction wire on Wednesday:
Hubbard injured his triceps muscle in October and missed the rest of the season. With Jack Conklin joining him on the injured reserve and Jedrick Wills struggling to stay healthy, the team’s tackles ended up being Blake Hance and rookie James Hudson III more often than they would have liked.
The Browns posted about Hubbard’s return, along with Walker’s, two weeks ago. It is unknown what caused the two-week delay in the signing becoming official.
With Hubbard back in the fold, the Browns have significant depth behind their great starting line. Hubbard, Hudson, Hance, Pocic, Michael Dunn, Drew Forbes, Hjalte Froholdt, Alex Taylor and Elijah Nkansah are currently depth for Wills, Conklin, Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller and Nick Harris.
It is possible that Hubbard’s return allows the team to trade from their offensive line depth to help in other areas as well.