Cleveland Browns working Emmanuel Ogbah at DE

The Cleveland Browns are taking a look at Emmanuel Ogbah at defensive end in the wake of Desmond Bryant’s season-ending injury.

The Cleveland Browns selected Emmanuel Ogbah at the top of the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft with the idea that he would transition into an athletic force at the outside linebacker position.

The plan was going full-steam ahead right up until starting defensive end Desmond Bryant was lost for the season with a torn pectoral muscle. Suddenly, the Browns found themselves looking at giving significant playing time to second-year player Xavier Cooper or journeyman veteran Nick Hayden.

With training camp kicking off on Friday, head coach Hue Jackson and defensive coordinator Ray Horton wasted no time in working on a remedy and giving Ogbah some work at his familiar defensive line position.

“We’re going to put our best players out there on defense,” Jackson explained. “Obviously, we are going to try him there. We’re going to put him back at outside linebacker. We’re just trying to find a lot of different combinations now that Des (Bryant) is going to be down to see if we can put our best guys out there.

“We’re going to try anything and everything that we can to give guys opportunities that showcase their abilities and talents.”

It’s a smart, and not unexpected, move by the coaching staff. Ogbah’s comfort level and ability to get to the quarterback from the defensive end position – his 13 sacks last season at Oklahoma State earned him Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors – should mean that he knows what to do at defensive end. And he was likely to see time at end during the season in some passing situations even before Bryant’s injury.

The one negative, as everyone saw last season with Cameron Erving, is that versatility can be a bit of a curse if the coaching staff puts too much on a rookie’s plate.

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There is a difference, however, to learning multiple positions on the offensive line and learning the type of defensive role the team has in mind for Ogbah, according to Jackson.

“It’s still playing defensive end. The difference is you’re probably closer to the tight end, which he’s done some of that so I don’t think it’s really huge,” Jackson said. “I think the young man just wants to play. At the end of the day, he’s a big physical guy with a lot of gifted talent. We have some tremendous coaches so I think whatever we think his skillset will help our football team, that’s what we’re going to use.”

While the coaching staff would probably prefer to have Ogbah work at just the outside linebacker position, the reality is they need help along the defensive line and currently have more depth at outside linebacker. So even if the plan has taken a bit of a new direction, it is early enough to make it work come Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

“We’re going to play (Ogbah) at defensive end some and take a good look at him. As you guys know, this time of the year is evaluation time for all of our football team,” Jackson said. “Now, you can do some of that. Move guys around and see what’s the best fit for our football team to help us win.”

Next: Browns training camp review: Day 1

The Browns are scheduled to return to the practice field today at 3:25 p.m. at the team’s training facility in Berea.

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