When any NFL team gets to Week 15 of the season, they start to get banged up. The toll of two-a-days, the preseason, and 13 regular season games take their toll. What’s happening to the Cleveland Browns in 2023 isn’t banged up. It’s borderline apocalyptic.
Are the Cleveland Browns the Most Injured Team in the NFL?
The Cleveland Browns listed 13 players on the team’s injury list for Wednesday’s practice. This included 11 starters and all but two didn’t practice at all. The team also has 11 players on the injured reserve list. The Chicago Bears, who the Browns play this week, only have four on theirs.
There’s no question that the Cleveland Browns are in a win-now mode, and this was the year when the team was supposed to make the jump from pretender to contender. The defense is among the league’s most talented. The offense was redesigned around the quarter-billion-dollar quarterback and a generational talent at running back.
Entering Week 15, all those plans have been lit on fire. Deshaun Watson played more games last year when he was suspended for the first 11 weeks. Nick Chubb barely got into the team’s sixth quarter before his knee was shredded.
But the hits don’t stop there.
Offensive Tackles No. 4 and No. 5
The best offensive tackle on the Cleveland Browns roster is Jack Conklin. He was lost in the team’s opening game. Since then, the team has also lost its blindside protector, Jedrick Willis. Willis was initially projected to return to the roster after four weeks but had surgery on his right knee and will need the offseason to recover.
2023 fourth-round choice Dawand Jones replaced Conklin, the huge 6-8, 375 lb tackle from Ohio State. Jones was initially projected as something of a project but stepped up nicely into the role. PFF grades him at 64.7, with a 73.0 in pass blocking. Unfortunately, Jones has struggled with minor injuries throughout the season. Last Thursday, he tore his MCL in practice.
That leaves the Cleveland Browns with James Hudson III and Geron Christian anchoring the offensive line, with just Leroy Watson IV backing them up. Of the three, Hudson was the only one to start the season with the team. Christian joined the team on October 31, and Watson followed him three days later.
Now Starting at Quarterback for the Cleveland Browns… Who?
Deshaun Watson made five starts for the team under center (not counting the failed experiment on his shoulder in Week 7 against Indianapolis). Having Watson on the field less than he was last year certainly wasn’t in the script.
Neither was throwing Dorian Thompson-Robinson to the wolves. Thompson-Robinson was chosen in the fifth round this year from UCLA and was projected as a long-term developmental project. Plans changed when his electric preseason led to QB2 Josh Dobbs’ trade. Thompson-Robinson showed flashes, filling in for Watson, but also clearly wasn’t ready to take on the role.
When Watson wasn’t ready to return to the field coming out of the bye, the Cleveland Browns turned to P.J. Walker, a league journeyman who had been with the team for a month. Walker played mistake-free ball, leading the team to a 2-1 record. But the team clearly wasn’t ready to return to him after putting Watson on the injured reserve.
Thompson-Robinson suffered a concussion after a brutal blow in Week 12, which opened the door for a familiar foe: Joe Flacco. Flacco, who spent his career roasting the Cleveland Browns, is now the starter for the rest of the season.
Cleveland Browns Defense Now Feeling Injury Woes as Well
He hasn’t missed a game yet, but edge rusher Myles Garrett has been a shadow of his former self the last two weeks. He suffered a shoulder injury two weeks ago. He’s barely logged a notch on the stat sheet in the last two games and has fallen out of the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year conversation.
Top cornerback Denzel Ward may return to the field after missing three straight games due to a shoulder injury. His return would be a welcome addition to a banged-up secondary. Safety Juan Thornhill has missed multiple games due to a variety of nagging injuries. Grant Delpit signed a $36 million contract extension last week but has now landed himself on IR next to Rodney McLeod.
The team also announced that edge rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo and DT Maurice Hurst would be out for the season this week as well.
How Much Can a Playoff Team Take?
Despite all of this, the Cleveland Browns are 8-5 and hold the top wildcard spot in the AFC. But the team is on its fourth starting quarterback of the season. It’s got 11 players on injured reserve and 13 active roster players injured. That’s 24 players out of a 53-man roster. So that begs the question: How many more hits can the Cleveland Browns take, and remain competitive?
Main Photo: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
