Welcome to Week 3 of training camp: Browns hit with more injuries
You must have an active subscription to read this story.
Click Here to subscribe Now!
Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Takeaways from Browns training camp Day 11 …
Here come the injuries.
On a rainy day at practice, the Browns lost their backup running back and backup left guard to injuries after learning they would be without two backup defensive ends for extended time.
Yes, it must be the third week of training camp.
With radar throwing curves all morning, Kevin Stefanski elected to practice his team on a slippery field as a steady drizzle persisted. “That’s football,” the coach said prior to practice as the drizzle worsened. “You got to get used to playing in the conditions.”
Midway through the practice, left guard Drew Forbes had to be carted into the fieldhouse with a back injury. A few minutes later, running back Jerome Ford limped off the field and had his right hamstring looked at by a trainer. Ford walked into the fieldhouse under his own power without a limp.
No way to estimate the impact of the wet conditions on the injuries. They were more likely the randomness of training camp.
Prior to the practice, Stefanski said that defensive ends Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas would miss indefinite time with knee injuries. Stefanski said the injuries “could” stretch into the start of the regular season.
So these four players join two others – wide receiver Marquise Goodwin (blood clots) and linebacker Matthew Adams (calf strain) – who will be out indefinitely as training camp heads into the third week.On a positive injury note, the Browns saw three players rehabbing from 2022 injuries join team drills in full pads for the first time. They were linebacker Anthony Walker, linebacker Sioni Takitaki and returner/receiver Jakeem Grant. Takitaki punctuated his comeback with an interception of Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the end zone in a 7 on 7 red zone period.
Running back Jerome Ford walks off with a trainer after suffering what appeared to be a right hamstring injury. (TheLandOnDemand)
Callahan comments
Offensive line guru Bill Callahan delivered a fairly positive state-of-the-line address in his first appearance at the media podium of training camp.
A few nuggets:
On rookie tackle Dawand Jones pitching a complete game (74 snaps) in the Jets’ game: “He still has a long ways to go yet. We’re still working on the run technique aspects of his play to make him a more complete player. But it was good to see him perform under the lights against good competition, taking third down sets, which are so critical to protection. Yeah, a lot of positives, but we came away pleased.”
On left tackle Jedrick Wills: “I think he’s really progressed. We came out of last year’s film evaluation, the scheme-eval from the offseason, and we saw a lot of positive things in this play. We saw steps. Now we want it to be more physical. We want it to be more – I would say more consistent in terms of the finish. We like to see that finish become more violent, more physical. I think we’re pushing that.”
On whether he feels the need to add a veteran offensive tackle to join young backups Jones, James Hudson and Tyrone Wheatley Jr.: “I don’t think so. I think we have a young group of guys that have good experience, not great, but good enough where they can come off and play. And of course, when you have a young rookie player, when you draft them in the fourth round, they’re going to play. Whether you like it or not. In this day and age, young players are going to play.”
Brownie bits
Stefanski still would not indicate how much play time quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Joshua Dobbs would receive in their preseason debuts Friday in Browns Stadium against the Washington Commanders. The fact Thompson-Robinson still got his share of reps on Monday is an indication that Watson and Dobbs will not be the only quarterbacks to play …
Watson finally broke through with a better success rate in the red zone period. Watson, who struggled previously inside the 10 against the Browns’ No. 1 defense, scored six times on eight attempts from inside the 10-yard line …
Receiver Austin Watkins had another highlight, high-pointing a pass from Kellen Mond over statuesque, 6-3 cornerback Chris Wentry …
The September 10 opener against the Bengals marks nine months and a week since Takitaki’s ACL surgery in December. He hopes to be ready to go for the game. “I’m really confident. That’s the aim date, but we’ll see when we get closer,” he said.
