The San Francisco 49ers released Chris Hubbard on Aug. 27. On Wednesday, the NFL team brought him back.
The 49ers announced Hubbard had joined San Francisco’s practice squad, advancing the former UAB standout closer to reaching the field in his 12th NFL season.
Hubbard started nine of the Tennessee Titans’ first 10 games at right offensive tackle in 2023 before a biceps injury ended his season prematurely.
Hubbard became an unrestricted free agent on March 13. He signed with the 49ers on May 14.
As a practice-squad member eligible to be elevated to active status. Every NFL team can elevate two players from the practice squad to active duty for each game.
San Francisco started its season on Monday night with a 32-19 victory over the New York Jets. The 49ers play the Minnesota Vikings at noon CDT Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Hubbard started 39 NFL games from 2017 through 2019, but he has battled injuries since then. He finished the 2020 season on injured reserve after hurting his knee in his fifth start of the campaign, played in only one game in 2021 because of a torn tricep muscle and played in four games in 2022 while dealing with an elbow injury.
Hubbard earned All-Conference USA recognition at offensive tackle in his final season atUAB, but he went undrafted in 2013.
After signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted rookie, Hubbard spent his first NFL season on the practice squad without playing, then played seven offensive snaps in his second season and 33 in his third.
In 2017, Hubbard started 10 games for the Steelers, which led to his first free-agent contract with the Cleveland Browns. He played all 1,091 of Cleveland’s offensive snaps at right tackle in 2018 and started 13 more games in 2019.
Hubbard transitioned to a swing-tackle role in 2020 after Cleveland drafted Alabama All-American Jedrick Wills Jr. in the first round and signed Jack Conklin in free agency. But Hubbard still started five games as he got some guard work, too, before hurting his knee.
Injuries limited Hubbard to 39 offensive snaps in the 2021 and 2022 seasons before he joined the Titans as a free agent in 2023.
One other player was on the NFL’s transactions report for Wednesday: The Cleveland Browns placed former Auburn High School standout Mohamoud Diabate on injured reserve.
Diabate left Cleveland’s season-opening game with a hip injury after playing six defensive snaps and 21 special-teams plays in a 33-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
The second-year linebacker could return this season, with Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski describing Diabate’s injury as “week-to-week.” By NFL rules, Diabate will have to miss at least the Browns’ next four games.
An All-State selection for Auburn High School in 2018, Diabate was a finalist for the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 7A Lineman of the Year Award.
Diabate played three seasons at Florida before completing his college career with Utah in 2022.
As an undrafted rookie, Diabate had 296 special-teams plays as a rookie, when he also played 27 defensive snaps for the Browns.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
