Football
The Cleveland Browns are certainly dealing with the pain of football in the middle of summer.
The Browns find themselves in the middle of a stretch consisting of 10 practices in 11 days. After Wednesday’s 90 minute practice, the Browns find themselves with their thinnest roster of the offseason.
Luckily, the Browns haven’t sustained any major injuries. But as the hot days in the sun pile up, so do the injuries, which could leave the Browns shorthanded ahead of next weekend’s preseason opener against the Chicago Bears.
Here’s everyone who missed practice on Wednesday:
- C Parker Brailsford
- CB Myles Bryant
- FB Michael Burton
- DT Elijah Chatman
- DT Maliek Collins (PUP)
- DT Kalia Davis
- OL Elgton Jenkins
- OL Teven Jenkins
- DT Sam Kamara
- DT Mike Hall Jr.
- DT Mason Graham
- OL Izavion Miller
- CB Damarri Mathis
- TE Joe Royer (personal matter)
- LB Carson Schwesinger
- WR Jamari Thrash
Both centers miss Wednesday’s practice
The fifth offensive line position battle is heating up, but Elgton Jenkins and Parker Brailsford both missed Wednesday’s training camp session. Instead, it was Luke Wypler, recovered from last year’s season-ending injury, snapping the ball to Deshaun Watson with the starting offense.
Wypler didn’t initially factor into Cleveland’s starting offensive line competition and finds himself on the roster bubble after an injury-riddled three seasons with the Browns.
Elgton Jenkins is versatile enough to play center or guard. But if rookie Parker Brailsford can win the starting center job, Elgton Jenkins would slide to guard.
Defensive line is so, so thin
Coming into training camp, the defensive line was one of Cleveland’s thinnest position groups.
Of course, high end starting talent like Mason Graham, Jared Verse and Alex Wright will lead the way during the regular season. Maliek Collins and Mike Hall Jr. will play huge roles at the tackle spots, also.
Collins is still on the PUP list and hasn’t practiced yet this offseason. And as injuries have stacked up in this position group, it’s clear how thin the team is at this spot.
Looking ahead to the rest of this week
What can’t be lost in all of these injuries piling up is the fact that the Browns are in the middle of a very important week.
Head coach Todd Monken will finalize the installation on Thursday. At that point, the Browns will have a more complete view of the position battles throughout this roster, including the quarterback competition between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders.
On Wednesday, Monken’s cadence installation was successful, as both quarterback and offensive line units were able to get the defense to jump offside. As the quarterback battle progresses, the Browns need clarity on this offensive line.
It’s still very early, and the team is fortunate that none of these injuries are serious. But the Browns certainly don’t want to make a habit of having this many players off to the side, especially during important days of installation and competitions throughout the roster.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Read More Nick Pedone