HEADLINES

Chris Hubbard

AFC South Notes: Clowney, Titans, Colts

August 17th, 2023 at 3:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jadeveon Clowney has made two visits but remains a free agent. Following his Ravens meeting, the former No. 1 overall pick visited the Jaguars. Not only did the Jags let Clowney leave, Doug Pederson indicated (via NFL.com’s James Palmer) the well-traveled pass rusher left Jacksonville without a contract offer. Clowney, 30, did not exactly part ways with the Browns on good terms, clashing with the team’s coaching staff during his second season as Myles Garrett‘s top sidekick. Clowney has now played for four teams, and while a return to the AFC South would strengthen the Jags’ pass rush, no deal is imminent.

The Jags lost Arden Key, who signed with the Titans, but reunited with Dawuane Smoot, who is coming off a December Achilles tear. Key’s exit will place more pressure on last year’s No. 1 pick, Travon Walker, who finished with 3.5 sacks and 10 QB hits as a rookie. Josh Allen remains Jacksonville’s pass-rushing anchor, but more will be expected of Walker. Clowney played for $8MM in 2021 and $10MM last year. The Jaguars hold a $10MM cap-space lead on the Ravens, carrying $18.4MM to Baltimore’s $8.8MM.

Here is the latest from the AFC South:

  • Although the Titans made a promotion to fill their offensive coordinator job for the third straight occasion, Tim Kelly has made some changes. The team has pivoted to the type of offense Kelly and Bill O’Brien ran in Houston, rather than the version of the Sean McVay attack Matt LaFleur brought with him back in 2018, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. “There’s a touch more freedom in his offense,” Ryan Tannehill said of the Patriots-style attack. “Being able to make adjustments on the fly, make changes at the line of scrimmage, a little more freedom within the route trees.” The Titans dropped from 17th to 30th in total offense from 2021 to 2022, helping lead to Todd Downing‘s ouster.
  • Tennessee is once again dealing with issues staffing its right tackle position, with Nicholas Petit-Frere incurring a six-game gambling suspension. The Titans also released Jamarco Jones, who was competing for the temporary fill-in gig, early in training camp. July pickup Chris Hubbard has taken over as the frontrunner to replace Petit-Frere to start the season, The Athletic’s John Rexrode notes (subscription required). Hubbard, who spent the past five years in Cleveland, has not worked as a regular starter since 2019 and has only started one game over the past two seasons. The Titans will have four new O-line starters in Week 1, and with Aaron Brewer sliding from guard to center, the team will not have any 2022 O-line starter playing the same position to open the season.
  • As the Colts transition to another coaching staff, Mo Alie-Cox‘s Colts roster spot might not be secure. The veteran tight end is vying for a blocking role against offseason signing Pharaoh Brown, according to the Indianapolis Star’s Nate Atkins. The Colts have Jelani Woods as a roster lock and used a fifth-round pick on Will Mallory. While Atkins notes Alie-Cox should have the upper hand on Brown, the team has some decisions to make. Kylen Granson, a 2021 fourth-round pick, is also not assured of a job in Shane Steichen‘s offense. It would cost the Colts $2.4MM in dead money to release Alie-Cox, who has been with the team since 2017.
  • The Texans are hiring former Northwestern director of player personnel Jonny Kovach as a player personnel assistant, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 notes. Multiple offers came Kovach’s way, per Wilson. Kovach had stayed on with the Big Ten program due to loyalty to Pat Fitzgerald. With Fitzgerald dismissed in the wake of the program’s hazing scandal, Kovach will make the jump to the pros.

Titans To Sign OL Chris Hubbard

July 27th, 2023 at 10:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Days after holding a multi-tackle workout, the Titans are moving forward with a potential right-side stopgap solution. The team agreed to terms with Chris Hubbard on Thursday night, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.

The NFL hitting Titans starting right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere with a six-game gambling suspension will force another change to a position group that has already experienced some turnover. Hubbard, 32, will attempt to provide some stability in what could be his first true starting opportunity in years.

Formerly with the Steelers and Browns, Hubbard has worked mostly as a backup in recent seasons. Cleveland’s plan to install the ex-Pittsburgh right tackle starter at the position did not pan out, but the Browns kept the veteran around for five seasons. Although Hubbard has only played in five games over the past two years, he still generated free agency interest. The Colts met with the nine-year vet earlier this offseason, and the Titans brought in he and George Fant for their RT audition last weekend. While Fant has received considerably more 2020s run, Hubbard is headed to Nashville.

A former UDFA out of UAB, Hubbard has made 49 career starts. Most of them came during the late 2010s, when the Steelers plugged him in as a Marcus Gilbert sub and when the Browns turned to him after their free agency commitment. Cleveland added Hubbard on a five-year, $36.5MM deal and gave him 29 starts from 2018-19. But the team reworked Hubbard’s deal in 2020, amounting to a pay cut, and stashed him behind new additions Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills. Hubbard suffered a dislocated kneecap late in the 2020 season and underwent surgery to repair a torn triceps sustained in 2021, but he re-signed with the Browns last year.

First-round pick Peter Skoronski worked at both guard and tackle this offseason, but most NFL scouts viewed the Northwestern prospect as an interior O-lineman. Despite Skoronski never playing guard for the Wildcats, the Titans are using him at the position. Rather than tinker with the young blocker’s development, Tennessee will add a rental piece of sorts to fill in for Petit-Frere. Hubbard also made starts at guard for the Browns, offering potential depth when Petit-Frere returns.

Even if Hubbard is not up to the task to start, the Titans will still open the season with at least four new O-line regulars. The team released longtime pillars Taylor Lewan and Ben Jones and let four-year starter Nate Davis sign with the Bears in free agency. Aaron Brewer, who is slated to slide from guard to center, stands to be the only returner up front come Week 1. With the Titans otherwise thin for RT options, Hubbard could join offseason additions Skoronski, Andre Dillard and Daniel Brunskill in the lineup.

Titans Audition OTs George Fant, Chris Hubbard

July 22nd, 2023 at 7:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

JULY 22: Tennessee hosted Fant as scheduled, while also taking a look at Chris Hubbard (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network). The latter has spent his entire career in the AFC North, seeing time at both guard and tackle with the Steelers and Brown. Hubbard (who also visited the Colts this offseason) has 49 starts to his name, and like Fant would represent a far more experienced Petit-Frere replacement than Tennessee’s internal options. 2021 second-rounder Dillon Radunz – who continues to recover from the ACL tear which ended his second career season in December – has been placed on the active/PUP list to begin training camp. That news could give the Titans added incentive to sign Fant, Hubbard or another veteran in the near future.

JULY 19: Nicholas Petit-Frere‘s six-game gambling suspension will have the Titans starting four new offensive linemen, but the team is likely aiming for a higher-end bridge option at right tackle.

Sitting as one of the top free agents available, George Fant is set for a Nashville trek. The veteran tackle will work out for the Titans on Saturday, Jordan Schultz of The Score tweets. Fant spent the past three seasons with the Jets, but he has been a free agent since his contract expired earlier this year.

This would be an interesting landing spot for Fant, seeing as Tennessee does not appear to have an opening for a full-time tackle starter. Petit-Frere started throughout last season, winning the RT job out of training camp. The 2022 third-round pick will seemingly be ready to reclaim his job after his suspension ends. That said, Schultz adds there is a good chance Fant will sign with the Titans assuming his workout goes well.

Fant-Jets extension rumors swirled last year, but nothing transpired. The Jets have an even more uncertain tackle situation than the Titans, with both Duane Brown and Mekhi Becton coming off injuries. The team signed longtime Nathaniel Hackett charge Billy Turner, however, and have 2022 draftee Max Mitchell in place as a backup option. Fant was also in play for the Dolphins earlier this year. Miami has since added Isaiah Wynn and Cedric Ogbuehi.

Fant, who turns 31 today, has made 60 career starts across a seven-year career. The ex-college basketball player played out a three-year, $30MM Jets deal, starting at both the left and right tackle spots. While Fant could bring valuable depth to a Titans team that struggled to keep its O-linemen healthy last season, he also could mix in for a starting role.

Fant, however, also missed much of last season with a knee injury. He played in just eight games, and Pro Football Focus ranked his injury-affected work as among the worst at the position last year. PFF did give Fant a top-40 tackle grade in 2021, when he replaced Becton at left tackle. Should Fant sign, it would be interesting to see if he ends up changing the Titans’ plans for their tackle posts. As of now, Andre Dillard is expected to play left tackle and team with a stopgap right-sider and then Petit-Frere after Week 6.

Considering a host of options to man the RT post during Petit-Frere’s time away, the Titans signing Fant would clear up their plans for first-rounder Peter Skoronski. Pegged as a guard by many NFL evaluators during the pre-draft process, Skoronski only played tackle at Northwestern. But the Titans gave him more guard work during the offseason program.

Colts Meet With OL Chris Hubbard

May 9th, 2023 at 2:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Browns’ plan of making Chris Hubbard their right tackle starter fizzled in the late 2010s, the veteran blocker remained in Cleveland for five years — the final three as a backup. He may soon have another option to continue his career.

The Colts met with the nine-year veteran recently, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Hubbard, 32, mostly worked as a right tackle during his time with the Steelers and Browns but has guard experience as well. The Colts saw their long-reliable offensive line struggle last season, largely because of issues with their two non-highly paid blockers in the starting lineup.

Indianapolis did not re-sign Eric Fisher or bring in a veteran to replace him. The Colts instead moved swingman Matt Pryor into their starting lineup. Pryor was eventually benched, giving way to third-round pick Bernhard Raimann. Despite allowing seven sacks, Raimann ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 25 overall tackle last season. He is on track to keep his starting position opposite Braden Smith. The Colts also used multiple right guards last season, demoting Danny Pinter for Will Fries, a 2021 seventh-round pick. That position appears a bit more fluid compared to left tackle. Pryor is no longer on Indianapolis’ roster, but Fries and Pinter remain under contract.

A former UDFA, Hubbard saw early-career time as a Steelers guard but saw his most relevant Pittsburgh action at tackle, filling in for an injured Marcus Gilbert in 2017. The Browns gave Hubbard a five-year, $36.5MM deal in 2018. Upon changing GMs in 2020, the Browns reworked Hubbard’s contract and moved him to a swing role — behind offseason additions Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills. Despite the demotion, Hubbard re-signed with Cleveland last year. But he has only played four games over the past two seasons, missing almost the entire 2021 slate because of a triceps injury.

The Colts also drafted two tackles, including BYU’s Blake Freeland in Round 4, but given the way last season played out, it is understandable the team is looking for a veteran backup as well. As free agency’s third wave has formed, due largely to last week’s deadline for signings to affect the 2024 compensatory formula, Hubbard is on Indy’s radar.

Browns Sign OL Joe Haeg

September 4th, 2022 at 9:59am CST by Rory Parks

The Browns are signing veteran offensive lineman Joe Haeg, as Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network tweets. Haeg was released by the division-rival Steelers at the end of August.

Pittsburgh signed Haeg in March 2021, and the North Dakota State product wound up seeing action in 12 games (two starts) last year. His 307 offensive snaps represented his highest total since 2018, and he spent a little time at all O-line positions except for center.

It appeared as if the Steelers would keep Haeg around as a depth piece in 2022, but the club recently acquired fellow OL Jesse Davis in a trade with the Vikings, and that transaction cost Haeg his roster spot. He became a popular free agent upon his release, and he lined up visits with multiple teams, including the OL-needy Raiders, before opting to sign with Cleveland.

Browns RT Jack Conklin is working his way back from a torn patellar tendon, and as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweets, head coach Kevin Stefanski has not yet indicated whether Conklin will be ready to suit up for the team’s Week 1 matchup against the Panthers next Sunday. Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal adds that Chris Hubbard — who played in just one game in 2021 due to a triceps issue — has not practiced in more than a week, so the Browns are clearly in need of some RT insurance.

Haeg, 29, can provide that, and he can also play guard if necessary. A fifth-round pick of the Colts in 2016, Haeg started 29 games over his first two years in the league, lining up at both RG and RT. He earned solid PFF scores of 67.9 and 64.1 for his work during those two seasons, but his play slipped a bit in 2018, and an ankle injury limited him to just eight games that year. In 2019, the final year of his rookie contract, he was used almost exclusively as a special teamer.

He hooked on with the Bucs in 2020 and earned a Super Bowl ring, though he was on the field for just 127 offensive snaps.

Browns To Re-Sign OL Chris Hubbard

March 16th, 2022 at 3:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Browns have made another move pertaining to their offensive line. Cleveland is re-signing tackle Chris Hubbard to a one-year deal, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (Twitter link). 

[RELATED: Browns To Release J.C. Tretter]

Many thought the veteran could be on his way out of Cleveland, given that he had been eclipsed on the depth chart and underwent surgery following a triceps injury. With his contract expiring, it wouldn’t have come as a surprise if the 30-year-old had looked elsewhere for his next NFL home. Instead, he will remain in the AFC North, the only division he’s played in.

Hubbard started his career with the Steelers in 2014. He spent four seasons there, making 10 starts in 2017. That earned him a five-year deal with the Browns in the subsequent offseason. Brought in to be a starter with that kind of contract, the former UDFA manned the right tackle spot for all but one game in his first two campaigns in Ohio. In 2020, though, he was replaced by Jack Conklin.

Hubbard has since settled into the swing role he held when he began in Pittsburgh. In his only game in 2021, he filled in for left tackle Jedrick Wills but the team primarily used rookie James Hudson to do so afterwards. Still, he represents an experienced, versatile depth piece to the Brown’s offensive front.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/12/21

October 12th, 2021 at 12:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Keeping tabs on today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

  • Promoted: OLB/DL Sam Kamara

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

San Francisco 49ers

Browns T Chris Hubbard Expected To Miss Rest Of Season

October 8th, 2021 at 4:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Out since Week 1, Chris Hubbard is unlikely to return to action this season. The veteran Browns backup is slated to undergo surgery to repair a triceps issue, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

This operation is expected to sideline Hubbard for the remainder of Cleveland’s season. Hubbard has been with the Browns for four years and has settled into a second-string swing role, so the team’s depth will take a hit because of this news.

Hubbard replaced left tackle Jedrick Wills after his injury against the Chiefs in Week 1, but the Browns have used other backups — mainly fourth-round rookie James Hudson — behind Wills since.

The Browns initially brought Hubbard in to be a starter, signing him during John Dorsey‘s initial months as GM. The former Steelers swing man-turned-starter landed a nice contract during the 2018 offseason (five years, $37.5MM) but did not fare especially well as the Browns’ first-string right tackle. Cleveland used Hubbard as a 19-game starter from 2018-19 but gave Jack Conklin a $14MM-per-year deal to replace him in 2020. The Browns, however, reworked Hubbard’s deal last year and kept him around to back up its higher-end tackle investments.

This injury could end the 30-year-old blocker’s Cleveland stay. Hubbard’s contract expires at season’s end.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/22/20

December 22nd, 2020 at 5:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Browns OL Chris Hubbard Done For Season?

December 21st, 2020 at 12:46pm CST by Rory Parks

The Browns are 10-4 and appear to be playoff-bound for the first time since 2002, but they suddenly find themselves thin at right guard. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), offensive lineman Chris Hubbard suffered a dislocated kneecap in Cleveland’s win over the Giants last night. Hubbard will go under the knife, and his season will be over.

Hubbard was filling in for starting RG Wyatt Teller, who sustained a sprained ankle in the Browns’ loss to the Ravens last week and who is not expected back until the playoffs, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes. Teller also missed some time earlier this season with a strained calf, and his absence is significant. The third-year blocker is playing at a Pro Bowl level and is currently Pro Football Focus’ highest-rated guard.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said this morning that he is not prepared to rule Hubbard out for the rest of the season, and he also said he does not know if Hubbard will need surgery. However, he did confirm that the veteran O-lineman will miss a significant amount of time (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal).

Hubbard has not lived up to the five-year, $37.5MM deal he signed with Cleveland in March 2018, but he does offer valuable experience and depth. He has started in Teller’s absence in each of the four games that Teller has missed this season, and he also started a game at right tackle. Rookie Nick Harris will line up at right guard for the time being, and it would not be surprising to see the Browns sign a reinforcement in the coming days.

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