Chris Hubbard looks like he will be staying in the fold for the Browns next season. Rumored as a departure candidate, the right tackle agreed to a new deal with the team.
The Browns and Hubbard agreed to a reworked contract, with Field Yates of ESPN.com reporting (via Twitter) the sides now have a two-year deal in place. Hubbard was previously signed through the 2022 season; this revised contract has him signed only through 2021.
Hubbard’s 2020 base salary will drop to $2.15MM, and Yates adds only $1MM of that is guaranteed. A $1MM signing bonus is included in this new deal, though. Hubbard previously did not have any guaranteed money coming his way in 2020, but his base salary was to be $6.15MM. Hubbard still has a chance to hit $5MM in 2020 base salary, but Yates notes that is now a max-value figure rather than a base salary.
While this will create some cap space for the Browns, that was not previously an issue. Cleveland’s $46MM-plus in cap room entering Thursday led the NFL by a wide margin.
If Hubbard plays 90% of the Browns’ snaps, Yates adds that the 2021 year of his contract would void. This would put him on track for free agency in a year. It looked like Hubbard would be a 2020 cut candidate, having not lived up to the five-year, $36.5MM deal he agreed to during John Dorsey‘s first offseason as Browns GM. The Andrew Berry regime, however, will keep the right tackle around for the time being.
This will be Hubbard’s age-29 season; the ex-Steeler has started 29 games for the Browns since coming to Cleveland in 2018. Hubbard graded as a bottom-10 tackle last season, per Pro Football Focus. The Browns have yet to replace either of their starting tackles, having indicated they are moving on from Greg Robinson. They have been linked to Trent Williams but also loom as a candidate to draft a tackle in the first round.
Seems to push him back into the swing tackle role. They will probably try him at guard though when they can.
Started in Cleveland the last 2 years and just signed a new a new contract with Cleveland. The only picture you can find is in a Steelers uniform?
The Browns have already replaced 1 Tackle…and that is Hubbard with Jack Conklin. Hubbard probably goes to Right Guard and if he doesnt win the job out of camp he gets cut then.
He played well enough in a swing role for the Browns to give him that deal in the first place. He was terrible as a starter, but at a much cheaper cost, it’s worth it to see if he can still be a swing guy.
He did when
He was with the Steelers first
Why are they keeping this slap
I usually hate correcting a post, but the browns did make a pretty significant signing of RT Jack Conklin (who’s a top-10 player at his position). He’s already been relegated to a back up role, and possibly a competition to play RG.
They have tons of cap room still, and Peters and Williams could both be an option for LT, but more than anything, they’re going to draft whoever is best left when it’s their turn at 10.