Browns Injury News – Mingo Making Strides

Aug 8, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Barkevious Mingo (51) against the St. Louis Rams during the fourth quarter at FirstEnergy Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports

The Browns seemed to get some good injury news as Barkevious Mingo continues to progress as he returns from the bruised lung he suffered against the Detroit Lions.  Mingo was able to participate in individual drills but it is unclear what he was able to do beyond that as that is the only portion the media saw.  The goal appears to be to get Mingo ready to go for the Baltimore Ravens week 2 but this could be a sign that he could be ready for the opener against the Miami Dolphins.  Certainly, the Browns are not going to rush him unnecessarily, but as much as the team may not want to admit it, they really need to come out and win the opener.

Also returning to the practice field were Davone Bess, Desmond Bryant, Chris Owens, and Jordan Cameron.  These were all expected and kept out of the final preseason game for precautionary reasons.  Ultimately, the vast majority of the starters did not play anyway but these four players were never even considered in that game.  All four could play a huge role in this week’s game and getting their team back to full strength will be extremely important.

There are also reports that Dan Carpenter and Billy Cundiff will try out for the open kicker spot.  While one of them could ultimately win the job, both seem like weaker options than Shayne Graham would be and their tryout may ultimately result in Graham being resigned.  None of the kicking options are terribly exciting at this point, but Graham does appear to be the best of the available options.

Update: Carpenter has agreed to a contract with the Buffalo Bills, so Cundiff will be competing against Giorgio Tavecchio.  Tavecchio, the former Cal Golden Bear was born in Italy and spent camp with the Green Bay Packers before being released last week.