Rookie Howard Wilson hit with bad break to start Browns career

The Cleveland Browns were hit with their first significant injury of 2017 as rookie cornerback Howard Wilson suffered a broken kneecap.

The Cleveland Browns seem unable to enjoy even a little bit of happiness before reality hits the team.

Everything was going well – outside of a few ridiculous questions from the media to safety Jabrill Peppers – at the team’s rookie minicamp until late in Friday’s practice when cornerback Howard Wilson, a fourth-round draft pick, suffered a broken kneecap that will sideline him for what the team is calling a “significant” amount of time.

Wilson, who was eagerly embracing his first weekend as an NFL player, took a philosophical approach to the setback, according to clevelandbrowns.com:

"“It’s disappointing but this is a part of playing football. It was kind of a freak thing. I was just running around and my knee just kind of locked up on me. I didn’t think much of it but the training staff wanted to get the proper testing so I got the MRI. I’m a positive person so I will have the surgery, work hard in my rehab and look forward to getting back to out there and helping this team win some games.”"

This is not the first time that Wilson has suffered a major injury as he tore an ACL three games into his sophomore season at Houston. But he was able to come back from that injury to be the Cougars top cornerback in 2016.

While head coach Hue Jackson held out the possibility that Wilson could return this season, the team won’t know the extend of the damage to his knee after he undergoes surgery, according to the team’s website:

"“His spirits are high. He understands it. He understands what he’s dealing with and he’s already started to the process of getting his mind beyond that so he can get himself back as soon as he can. Anytime you lose a player you drafted on the first day when you’re trying to see what he is and how he can contribute, that’s hard.”"

It’s a disappointing start to his career for Wilson, but the injury is one that the Browns may be able to deal with without too much angst this fall. Joe Haden, who may finally be healthy after offseason surgery on his injured groin, and Jamar Taylor are the starting outside cornerbacks, and Briean Boddy-Calhoun showed promise last season as a slot corner, so the coaches may have been looking at Wilson as just a rotational player for the upcoming season.

That doesn’t make the news any less disappointing, however.