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Derrick Kindred injury a blow to Browns secondary

By Thomas Moore

Oct 30, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns strong safety Derrick Kindred (30) breaks up a pass intended for New York Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa (81) during the second quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The jets won 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns strong safety Derrick Kindred (30) breaks up a pass intended for New York Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa (81) during the second quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The jets won 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cleveland Browns secondary took a hit on Wednesday with the news that starting safety Derrick Kindred suffered a broken ankle during the bye week.

Just when things looked to be if not improving at least settling down in the secondary for the Cleveland Browns, the team was hit with another injury.

Safety Derrick Kindred returned from the team’s bye week with a broken ankle and has been placed on the reserve/non-football injury list.

“He did it, honestly, trying to prepare himself to get back,” head coach Hue Jackson said in published reports. “He didn’t do anything out of sequence that’s going to cause us to feel different about him. He just needs to get back and we don’t know how long that’s going to be and we’ll kind of go from there.”

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And here we thought the Browns had made it out of the bye in good shape since no one posted any party videos online.

Kindred, a fourth-round selection in the 2016 NFL Draft out of TCU, appeared in all 12 games this season, making five starts and totaling 43 tackles. He started in Weeks 3 and 4 and return to the starting lineup following an injury to Jordan Poyer and the disappointing player of second-year safety Ibraheim Campbell.

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He has also been developing a relationship with fellow safety Ed Reynolds since they began playing together in the secondary.

“I think (Derrick’s) shown the ability to be a very tenacious, aggressive, in-the-box run stopper,” secondary coach Louie Cioffi said last week. “That’s where he’s excelled this year. He’s very disruptive near and around the line of scrimmage. We worked on the tackling in space. That’s the hardest part of this game. He’s also started to play more off coverage in the deeper half and deeper middle. Those are the things we’re trying to develop him on.”

To replace Kindred on the roster, the Browns signed defensive back Trae Elston and signed defensive back Justin Currie to the practice squad.

The 5-foot-11 and 193-pound Elston is in his first season in the league. He was originally signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi, where he was a four-year starter. He spent five weeks this season on the practice squad of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

According to Red Cup Rebellion:

"Elston was one of just three defenders in the country to notch at least 70 tackles, four picks and 18 passes defensed in 2016. He piled up at least 60 tackles in each of his four college seasons. As a senior, he was named to the All-America second team by the Associated Press; All-America third team by Athlon and Phil Steele; All-SEC first team by the coaches, ESPN, Athlon and Phil Steele. He has great ball skills. He can come down into the box and pursue the ball carrier. He’ll clobber the shit out of anyone that comes over the middle."

Since Campbell has fallen completely off the coaching staff’s radar in recent weeks – he has taken a defensive snap since the game against the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 6 – it shouldn’t come as a surprise if Elston finds himself on the field Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Next: Browns benefitting from fading Eagles

As for Currie, the 6-foot-2 and 212-pounder is in his first season out of Western Michigan, where he made 37 starts. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Giants.

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