Getty Images Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans celebrates with Greg Mancz.
The Cleveland Browns have inked veteran Greg Mancz to the active roster after another injury at the center position.
The Browns have had terrible luck in the middle of their offensive line this season since moving on from veteran JC Tretter. Nick Harris was slated to be the starter but went down in the preseason with a knee injury. Ethan Pocic started the first 10 games of the season but he sustained a knee injury in the first quarter against the Bills and was also placed on IR, meaning he’ll miss at least four games.
Mancz is a seventh-year player out of Toledo. He was originally signed by the Texans as undrafted free agent in 2015. Over the course of his career, he has started 32 of his 64 games with the Texans, Dolphins and Bills.
The majority of his starting experience came with the Texans, with Deshaun Watson as his quarterback for some of that time. Watson will return next week from his 11-game suspension and his familiarity with Mancz could be key.
He appeared in one game with the Bills this season and spent time on their practice squad. It’s a coming home of sorts for Mancz, who is an Ohio native.
While Mancz might eventually get a look, Hjalte Froholdt will hold down the center spot for now. Froholdt had filled in previously but was at guard with Wyatt Teller banged up.
With the Browns now patchworking the position, it has affected some of their offensive plans. The run game had a hard time getting going against the Bills and usually reliable quarterback sneaks were ineffective. The Browns went for back-to-back sneaks against Buffalo and didn’t gain yards with either.
“As we all know, those sneaks, we have been good at them, but to not get two of them was tough,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said.
Browns Add New Names to Practice Squad
Mancz was the only addition to the active roster but the Browns did add a couple of players to the practice squad in safety Bubba Bolden and offensive tackle Will Holden.
Bolden is an undrafted rookie, who was initially signed by the Seahawks. In college at Miami he had 127 tackles — 10 for loss — two sacks, six pass defelections and five forced fumbles.
Holden is a big body at 6-7, 312 pounds and entered the league as a fifth-round pick by Cardinals in 2017. He has played in 27 career games with nine starts for Arizona, Baltimore, Indianapolis and Detroit. Holden’s nine starts include four at left tackle, two at right tackle, one at left guard and two as an extra lineman.
The Browns have been active adding players, which includes defensive tackle Ben Stille, who was signed last week. Stille saw immediate action against the Bills, playing 28 snaps.
Browns Frustrated But Not Giving Up
The season has not gone as planned for the Browns, who have stumbled to a 3-7 record and have failed to pull through in some winnable games. Tight end David Njoku doesn’t want the team to make any excuses.
“I think everything really. This is a frustrating position to be in, especially with the potential we have as a team,” Njoku said on Monday. “Obviously, things just tend to not go our way. It is what it is. I feel no sympathy for myself or anybody here. We have to do our job, and we have to execute at a higher level. It is that simple.”
The Browns will welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Tom Brady’s squad is a 3-point road favorite for the matchup.