The Tennessee Titans are signing former Steelers offensive tackle Chris Hubbard for a tryout, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN..
Hubbard along with George Fant were hosted for tryouts after Titans starting right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere was suspended for the first six games of the 2023 NFL season. The former Steelers tackle has caught on for a number of years in the NFL as a versatile swing tackle that can start in a pinch whenever teams ask him to do just that.
Undrafted out of the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Hubbard was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent in 2013. He played four seasons in Pittsburgh and started ten games his final season, but ultimately signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2018.
Hubbard spent five seasons in Cleveland, ranging anywhere from a starter to a backup. He was the starting right tackle for the team 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 a number of 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.
Hubbard did not only play tackle, but guard in both stops. 32 years old, Hubbard has been in the league for nearly a decade at this point, carving out a solid career for any NFL player. The Titans needed plenty of tackle depth on the roster even when Petit-Frere ends up returning. They released Taylor Lewan this offseason. Currently, Andre Dillard and Daniel Brunskill are the projected starters for the Titans, and with Hubbard joining the group, he could give a push to one of those spots.