BEREA: Defensive end John Hughes rejoined the Browns on Tuesday after a two-week absence and insisted the team can count on him.
“I’m back 100 percent now,” Hughes said before the 14th practice of training camp. He’s healthy, but he watched the session from the sidelines because the Browns will ease him back into action.
Hughes explained he left camp because he had to deal with a personal family matter but never contemplated retirement. Beginning Aug. 2, he missed nine practices and Friday’s 17-11 preseason-opening loss to the Green Bay Packers.
The fifth-year veteran said his decision to flee from the Browns was difficult but “when it comes to family, it’s a big priority to me.”
Hughes, 28, said coach Hue Jackson and head of football operations Sashi Brown supported him throughout his hiatus.
“They actually made me feel real comfortable about the situation,” he said. “I talked to both of them personally.”
Several players also made sure Hughes knew they had his back.
“I got a lot of texts from my teammates, offense and defense,” he said. “It was great the support they had for me, and I appreciated it.”
Hughes, 6-foot-2 and 320 pounds, believes his teammates will help him focus on football again and have a productive season.
“That’s why I couldn’t wait to get back, just to be around my teammates,” he said. “It’s like family here.”
Hughes’ return is good news for the defensive line. It lost starting end Desmond Bryant to a season-ending torn pectoral muscle last month and could ill afford another big blow.
The Browns welcomed him back.
“It’s exciting to have him back,” Jackson said. “Obviously, he’s been with us through all the offseason and obviously has some catching up to do. But he’s been in the system, was there in OTAs and around the coaches. So hopefully he can get back up to speed quickly.”
Hughes has started only 10 of the 52 games in which he’s appeared, but he was positioned to become a full-time starter for the first time in his career before his leave. He practiced as the starting left defensive end throughout spring practices and the beginning of camp. Free-agent acquisition Nick Hayden has filled the role since Hughes’ departure, and Hughes isn’t sure whether he’ll be able to reclaim his spot on the first-team defense.
“[Hayden has] done a good job,” Jackson said. “Until John is ready to go and play will we be able to evaluate [who’ll start]. But we’re just glad to have him back in the building and have him have a chance to get back out there with his teammates.”
Should the opportunity to start arise again, Hughes is confident he’ll seize it.
“I’ve learned from a lot of good players, and I’ve got a lot of experience,” said Hughes, a third-round draft pick in 2012 from the University of Cincinnati. “So I’m ready.”
Hughes was able to lift weights and run while away from the team. And he’s optimistic about his return to the field.
“It should be just like riding a bike, for the most part,” he said. “I’ve got to get back in the routine of things, but that shouldn’t be hard at all.”
Hughes received a four-year extension worth $14.4 million in new money last year and is under contract through 2019. He has compiled 123 tackles, including 5.5 sacks, five passes defensed, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in four seasons.
“We’re happy to have him back,” Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas said. “He’s a great guy and a great player. He’s obviously going to be a big part of what we do on defense.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.