Former Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Chris Hubbard has signed a one-year free agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers, according to a report by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network,
Hubbard spent the 2023 season with the Tennessee Titans, where he had signed a one-year contract last offseason. He made nine starts before a biceps injury in November ended his season.
Undrafted out of the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Hubbard was signed by the Steelers as a free agent in 2013. He played four seasons in Pittsburgh, became a trusted and vital backup on a veteran offensive line, and started ten games his final season with the team in 2017, filling in for an injured Markus Gilbert at right tackle.
Without a starting job open in Pittsburgh, Hubbard then signed with the Cleveland Browns as a free agent in 2018, spent five seasons in Cleveland. He started in his first two seasons in Cleveland in 2018 and 2019, but Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills pushed him out of that job. Still, Hubbard remained on the roster as a critical swing tackle for the Browns and plugged into the rotation several times whenever injuries would pop up for both Conklin and Wills. In 2020, Hubbard had surgery on his knee after dislocating his kneecap in December, forcing him to miss the rest of the season at that point. A triceps injury cost him all but one game in 2021.
In his 10-year career, the 33-year-old Hubbard has played all five positions along the offensive line, but most of his work has come at right tackle. In San Francisco, he will back up All-Pro Trent Williams and West Virginia alum Colton McKivitz.
The Steelers do not currently have a need for a veteran backup, but could have, if they were serious about entertaining trade offers for Dan Moore Jr., who some have speculated could be available after the Steelers drafted Washington tackle Troy Fautanu in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.