Report: Chris Hubbard to have season-ending surgery

Browns veteran offensive lineman will have surgery on his injured triceps, ending his season, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Chris Hubbard plans to have surgery on his injured triceps and will be lost for the remainder of the 2021 season.

The news was first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Hubbard suffered the injury in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs after he was called on to replace starting left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., who left the game with an ankle injury that continues to plague him.

The injury to Hubbard was considered “week-to-week” by the Browns, but he missed the last three games. While he was able to return to practice on Wednesday, he was not able to go on Thursday or Friday, and was already ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers when the news broke about his upcoming surgery.

It is a tough break for Hubbard, who saw his 2020 season end in Week 14 against the New York Giants when he suffered torn knee ligaments and a dislocated kneecap.

Often overmatched as a starter, Hubbard had worked himself into a valuable backup along the offensive line as he played an entire game five times last season as Cleveland dealt with injuries along the offensive line.

The Browns have missed Hubbard the past three weeks as Wills has been forced out of the game each week as his ankle is clearly bothering him. It appeared that the Browns were hoping Hubbard would get healthy enough that they could possibly give Wills a break, but that clearly did not go as planned.

Wills is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, but he did not practice all week, so even if he does try to play against the Chargers, it would not be surprising if he has to come out of the game again. If that were to happen, the Browns would have to turn to either Blake Hance or James Hudson III, neither of whom have done much when called upon the past three weeks.