Browns Place OT Chris Hubbard, FB Andy Janovich, DB M.J. Stewart on Injured Reserve
Tuesday, the Cleveland Browns announced they were placing three players on injured reserve including reserve offensive lineman Chris Hubbard, fullback Andy Janovich and reserve defensive back M.J. Stewart. Hubbard was as a result of the tricep injury he suffered in week one while both Janovich and Stewart were injuries that occurred in their game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The team has announced they are signing fullback Johnny Stanton from the practice squad to replace Janovich as well as defensive end Joe Jackson. They still have a roster spot to fill, which would appear to be coming from outside the organization.
Offensive tackle Alex Taylor is being signed back to the Browns practice squad while corner Tim Harris being activated back to the practice squad from the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Hubbard is done for the year. The hope was that he could play with the tricep after a few games off, but it never got to that point and the decision was made to have season-ending surgery. He will be a free agent after the season, but Hubbard declared via social media that he intends to come back stronger next year.
Stewart suffered a hamstring injury against the Chargers, so while he is out, there is reason to expect him back at some point. The big issue for the Browns there is they are becoming quite thin in the defensive backfield, which is what made Stewart valuable. He could chip in both at safety as well as slot corner if needed, having done both at points this season.
With Greg Newsome out on Sunday, the Browns watched as Denzel Ward left Sunday's game, Greedy Williams played through a shoulder issue that required an MRI on Monday and both Troy Hill and A.J. Green had to be checked out in the blue medical tent during the game.
Janovich was also placed on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury, so he should be able to come back later in the season. Stanton has been his backup via the practice squad for two seasons now and should have no problems from an assignment standpoint. In the preseason, they used Stanton in a number of positions to avoid needing to sign players just to get through exhibition games.
If there's good news, it's that Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams and Jack Conklin, who had MRIs were not mentioned in terms of injured reserve, but that's the only update available on them at this point.
