Injury News Trending In Right Direction For Browns
Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Over the last four seasons, it feels like the Cleveland Browns haven’t caught a single break when it comes to injuries. This feeling dates all the way back to 2021, when Baker Mayfield suffered a shoulder injury early in the season, which ultimately led to him being traded.
2023 was no different for the Browns, we saw players like Nick Chubb, Deshaun Watson, Grant Delpit, Jack Conklin, Jacob Phillips, Anthony Walker, and Jedrick Wills all be put on injured reserve, missing a minimum of six games. Additionally, guys like Juan Thornhill, Denzel Ward, Dawand Jones, and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah missed multiple games.
Injuries are a key part of the NFL game, and elite teams are often the best at overcoming injuries with a “next man up” mentality. Although the ending of the 2023 season didn’t go as planned, the way this team came together with all the injuries shows how special things could be moving forward.
Although after three years, it seems like the injury bug has to move on to another team, it’s hard to be completely convinced that will ever happen. However, so far it has been mostly good news on the injury front this offseason.
Deshaun Watson Throwing
This one isn’t a huge surprise, but after three straight seasons of Watson’s status in doubt with injuries and off-the-field issues, he is right where everyone expected him to be. He is still not throwing on back-to-back days, but with another few weeks before the heart of training camp, there is no reason to think he won’t be fully cleared.
For Watson, getting a full training camp is extremely important for him to continue. He needs to get reps, develop chemistry with the entire team, and get back into that football groove that we finally saw glimpses of right before the shoulder injury.
There are zero doubts from anyone that this team has been built around Watson, between what they gave up for him and have done with the roster over the last three seasons. Some have already called this trade a failure, but Watson’s improved health is worth holding any judgment until after this season.
Nick Chubb Running and Jumping:
It is probably extremely naive to think that Chubb will have a single game with more than 20 carries after the major reconstruction to his knee that required two different surgeries.
Still, it’s thrilling to see the news that he is running full speed again, starting to jump, and moving laterally. At the time of his second surgery in 2023, it seemed there was no way he would be ready before the halfway point of the 2024 season. Even then, it would probably only be in an extremely limited capacity. At this point, however, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him dressed and active within the first few weeks of the 2024 season.
Andrew Berry has his insurance policy with Jerome Ford and D’Onta Foreman, it’s suddenly within the realm of possibility that he may have 5-10 carries per game as early as Week 1 vs. Dallas. It’s hard to say a running back is a franchise player in this day and age, but between the Browns’ changes in offensive strategy and the importance of Chubb, they are going to be cautious about bringing him back.
In a dream scenario, you’ll see Chubb have 200 carries in the regular season and ready to take on more for a playoff run. This may be a bit of a stretch, but we continue to see superhuman things out of Chubb.
Jack Conklin on Instagram:
I don’t think anyone has written off Jack Conklin, the former All-Pro right tackle, but injuries have certainly been his kryptonite over the last few seasons. Especially since his last two were quite serious knee injuries.
Things had been extremely quiet on the Conklin front until yesterday, when he posted to Instagram #Imback. He gave praise to his wife Caitlyn and teammate Chubb, but gave Browns fans hope that he will be coming into training camp fully healthy.
Last year it seemed like Conklin was healthy in September when the season started, but he wasn’t 100% for camp, which is extremely important for a guying coming off an injury even with the experience Conklin has.
Conklin being healthy for the 2024 season could be one of the biggest breaks for the Browns all season. With Dawand Jones also coming off knee surgery, the Browns now have three offensive tackles (Jedrick Wills, Jones, and Conklin) with starting capabilities, even with a history of injuries.
With these three all healthy in camp, you should see some extremely healthy competition. There is a strong chance a guy like Jones ends up taking Wills’ job.
Injuries are always going to be a crucial factor in NFL seasons, but time after time we have seen teams like the Baltimore Ravens or San Francisco 49ers overcome significant injuries. Nothing’s ever certain when it comes to the Browns and health, but if this team can catch just a few breaks in the 2024 season, you could see some special things.
Up Next