The Cleveland Browns will be without veteran swing tackle Chris Hubbard against the Minnesota Vikings this weekend, with the big man being ruled out in the final injury report.
Hubbard is just a backup on the offensive line but his presence would have been welcomed with left tackle Jedrick Wills dealing with a nagging ankle injury that he has visibly struggled with the last few weeks. Hubbard suffered a triceps injury in the opener while filling in for Wills. He has missed the last two games.
Browns final injury report vs. Vikings
OUT: T Chris Hubbard, CB Greg Newsome II
QUESTIONABLE: LB Sione Takitaki, C JC Tretter, T Jedrick Wills Jr.
The Browns would turn to James Hudson or Blake Hance if Wills was unable to go.
Wills is listed as questionable for the matchup with the Vikings, as he was last week when he ended up suiting up to face the Bears.
“I can’t remember last week. I would just tell you he did nice in his limited work, but it is something that we will monitor over the next 48 hours,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Friday, October 1 when asked for an update on Wills.
Browns Want to Keep Baker Mayfield’s Jersey Clean
The offensive line started off shaky last week against the Bears, most notably on a pair of failed, first-quarter fourth-down conversions. However, the unit recovered down the stretch. They are determined to keep Baker Mayfield’s jersey cleaner this week.
“We had two fourth downs that ended in sacks, and you are like, ‘What the heck?’ You are blocking your guy, and all of the sudden, everybody eases up and you are like, ‘What is going on? What is going on? Ugh, (QB) Baker (Mayfield)’s jersey is dirty, and Baker’s pants are dirty.’ You never want to see that,” offensive guard Wyatt Teller said earlier in the week. “We need to get back into the lab and make sure that what the issues were that we were seeing and fix those, if that is communication or if that is setting a certain way.”
The Bears sacked Mayfield five times in the matchup. The fourth-year QB was sacked just four times in the two previous games.
Greedy Williams Ready to Step Up For Browns
Getty ImagesGreedy Williams of the Cleveland Browns.
Rookie starting cornerback Greg Newsome II was the only other player designated as out for Sunday’s game. Williams started every game he played in as a rookie but missed all of last season with nerve damage in his shoulder. He lost his starting gig to Newsome in camp, which wasn’t helped when he suffered a groin injury during a preseason game.
The Browns selected Williams in the second round of the 2019 draft and he quickly became a valuable piece for the team, starting all 12 games he appeared in as a rookie. However, Williams — who is only 23 — missed all of last season with severe damage to the axillary nerve in his shoulder, an injury he suffered in training camp.
While he hasn’t drawn a start on defense, Williams has been contributing on special teams and keeping a positive attitude.
“Greedy did a nice job on kickoff for us. He is in the right spots,” special teams coordinator Mike Priefer said. “He did an extremely good job on punt return as a holdup corner.”
The Browns are listed as two-point road favorites for the matchup against the Vikings, per Odds Shark.
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Browns Rule Out Offensive Lineman for Vikings Matchup