Can Cleveland Overcome Their Injuries?
Mandatory credit: Jeff Lange USA Today
As the Cleveland Browns remain in the heat of a playoff battle with only four games left in the season, the team continues to not catch a single break when it comes to injuries. The season started with Nick Chubb going down for the year and kept speeding downhill ever since.
Chubb, Deshaun Watson, Jack Conklin, Dawand Jones, and Jedrick Wills have all been on injured reserve (IR) for the offense, not to mention that Amari Cooper, David Njoku, and Ethan Pocic have all missed games as well. This is just on the offense!
The Browns sit at 8-5 with a winnable game at home against the Chicago Bears this weekend, all while starting their fourth quarterback of the season in Joe Flacco. We all likely remember the seasons where the Browns started four quarterbacks because no one was any good, yet this time around they’re fighting through the injuries and finding a way to win.
Things aren’t much better on the defense as Grant Delpit, Ogbo Okoronkwo, and Maurice Hurst have been added to the list of injured reserve with Rodney McLeod. Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith have battled through injuries even though they haven’t missed a game, while Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome, Juan Thornhill, and Anthony Walker have all missed time with injuries.
I love when the Browns lead the league in something, but players on IR wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. The real question now is, can this team hold up during their playoff run?
Can the Offense Keep Surprsing?
Believe it or not, even without Watson and being on their fourth quarterback (so far), the offense doesn’t worry me as much as the defense. Flacco has shown he still has elite arm strength, and the Browns are talented enough to win the last four games with him.
Once they get to the playoffs to face some higher-caliber teams, I’ll start to get concerned. The Browns have struggled to run the ball, and the offensive line is battered at best. Jerome Ford has proven to be a serviceable back, but there aren’t a lot of holes open right now.
The O-line is by far the biggest lingering question. Conklin, Wills, and Jones are all out for the rest of the season which means Geron Christian and James Hudson are the next men up, which is alarming. Christian is in his sixth NFL season with very little experience, although so far has held up well. I won’t act like he hasn’t been beaten a few times, but for the most part, he is holding his own.
Hudson, who has gotten a lot of starting snaps at right tackle in the past, is still the bigger question mark. At times he looks like a starting-caliber tackle, and then he will take a few plays off and look absolutely dreadful.
The biggest difference between the starting combo of Wills and Jones to Christian and Hudson is their run-blocking capabilities. As much as I objected to Wills in pass protection, he moves well and was a great run blocker. So was Jones, thanks to his size and strength.
Hudson and Christian both have quick feet but struggle to get to the next level and seal the edge in the run game. If the Browns want to succeed on the ground, their scheme will have to improve.
Questions Abound On Defense
The defense is the real mystery right now. Even though they are still in decent shape (other than at safety), they have zero depth on the depth chart remaining.
If D’Anthony Bell gets hurt — he’s already the fourth safety — I don’t even know who the Browns would put in. Keep in mind that even though Thornhill looks like he will be able to go his week, he’s been nursing a calf injury all year. That gives me little faith that he will be able to stay healthy for four-straight games.
Right now, the cornerbacks are finally healthy (or so it appears), but Ward, Newsome, and Mitchell are all coming off recent injuries and all have a terrible history of missing game time. We saw firsthand that when Ward isn’t on the field taking away the opposing team’s WR1, this defense isn’t nearly as good.
As Walker gets healthier at linebacker, I’m less worried. The starters are solid and guys like Tony Fields and Mohamoud Diabate, who have played well when needed. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is the biggest piece here, if he can remain healthy and continue to be a monster on the field, this position will be okay.
Concerns also abound up front. Coming into the season there was a ton of depth, but now without Okoronkwo, Hurst, and likely Jordan Elliott, you are going to see the starters on the field for a few extra snaps, which can wear them out and put them at risk for injury.
Remember, Smith and Garrett are both playing through injuries as well. At this point, if you lose one of those guys and are forced to start someone like Alex Wright or Isaiah McGuire, this unit will be in trouble quickly.
Part of the reason this unit was so good was because they had so much depth and could keep guys fresh. It was often frustrating to see a player like Garrett get rest, but when he came in fresh on third-andlong, he was nearly unblockable.
The road is still clear for the Browns to make the playoffs, and I would argue the division is still up for grabs as the Baltimore Ravens have a brutal schedule to end the season. This team has shown the ability to come together and overcome adversity which shows not only how close this team is, but how great of a coach Kevin Stefanski is.
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