Browns could get a big piece back from IR this week

The Cleveland Browns designated center Ethan Pocic on Tuesday to return from the injured reserve list.

Pocic has been sidelined since injuring his knee on the first offensive play of the game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 11.

The move is a nice holiday present for a Cleveland offense that has struggled since Pocic went out of the lineup. At the time of his injury, he was the No. 2 ranked center in the league by Pro Football Focus at the time of his injury.

Related: Hjalte Froholdt’s struggles at center key part of Browns issues on offense

Hjalte Froholdt has done his best while filling in for Pocic but has struggled, which in turn has seen Cleveland’s offensive line fall from the second-best in the NFL to No. 7 overall in the rankings by Pro Football Focus. It has also been the second-worst overall with Froholdt in the lineup.

Pocic can begin practicing with the Browns today and start to acclimate himself to snapping the ball to quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has yet to play a game with Pocic at center.

The Browns now have a 21-day window to bring Pocic back to the active roster, which leaves open the chance that he could be back on the field as soon as this Saturday’s home game against the New Orleans Saints.