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Hopeful to suit up this weekend against the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin was back at Monday's practice following the team's bye week according to a report by Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer.
Rubin originally injured his calf in a game on Oct. 7 against the Giants, and then could only play just one quarter of action before re-aggravating the injury two weeks later. The 330-pound defensive lineman has sat out Cleveland's last two games in an effort to finally reach full health, and is eager to on the same field with fellow defensive tackle Phil Taylor for the first time in 2012.
With Rubin's return set to shore up the interior of Cleveland's defensive line for the foreseeable future, standout rookie Billy Winn has been taking reps at both end and tackle in practice to hopefully make as much of an impact as possible. A sixth-round draft pick out of Boise State, the 23-year-old Winn has record 10 solo tackles and one sack this season as a key reserve.
"If they need me to play end, I will play end," Winn said. "Right now, I'm trying to fit in where they want me to play."
The Browns rank just 27th in the NFL in opposing rush yards allowed (132.2), although Rubin's presence could definitely play a significant role in changing that number down the stretch. The emergence of Winn gives head coach Pat Shurmur a nice safety net should anything happen to one of his top defensive tackles again, but all indications are that Rubin will be ready to make his return to action in Week 11.