Cleveland Browns Punter Reggie Hodges Injured in Practice

The Cleveland Browns may have suffered their first significant injury of training camp Tuesday when punter Reggie Hodges was carted off the field after an apparent leg injury.

Hodges jumped for a high snap, and when he landed simply fell to pieces. He was not hit by another player. Browns coach Pat Shurmur is calling the injury a “foot episode.”

This is significant because Hodges is the only punter the Browns have in camp. If the injury is as serious as it sounds they may have to bring in a free agent punter, which would really cramp Tom Heckert’s style because he hates signing free agents.

Ironically, it was an injury to former punter and Cleveland native Dave Zastudil that forced the Browns to sign Hodges off the street. Zastudil never completely recovered from a knee injury, and Hodges performed so well that the Browns moved on with him.

Reggie is a favorite in the Browns locker room. His fake punt play against the New Orleans Saints is easily a top-5 highlight from last year’s 5-11 season.