Daily Dawg Tags: Injuries hitting the offensive line
By Thomas Moore
The Cleveland Browns will be without offensive linemen Joel Bitonio and Cameron Erving for a few weeks, which may turn into a big deal.
Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson revealed some disturbing news on Wednesday.
Starting left guard Joel Bitonio is going to miss some time with a knee injury.
In less disturbing news, Jackson also said that backup tackle Cameron Erving will be out for a while with a calf injury.
While he was short on details, Jackson remained optimistic that the injuries are not significant, but would not commit to either player being available for the opening weekend matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to clevelandbrowns.com:
"“They are going to be week-to-week. We will see where they are and hopefully, we get them back as soon as we can. I know our medical staff, they do everything they can to get our guys back soon. But I don’t think it is anything major that is going to keep them out a ton of time. We just never know medically how these things work. But I think we are right in that window where we have an opportunity to have them both back and ready to go and I feel good about that. We will see how that goes.”"
With Bitonio out, veteran John Greco will get the start at left guard, which will be fine as Greco is a solid player.
But with Erving injured, and starter Joe Thomas having Monday night off against the New York Giants, rookie Roderick Johnson will get the start at left tackle. That sound you just heard was quarterbacks Brock Osweiler and DeShone Kizer trying to sell Jackson on the idea of giving Cody Kessler a start on Monday.
In addition to putting the quarterbacks at risk, missing time does nothing to help Erving’s cause as he tries to grab one of the backup tackle positions.
This is the first real injury to hit the Browns so far, hopefully it doesn’t turn into something worse come Monday night.
Cleveland Browns news:
Brock Osweiler will start second preseason game
Brock Osweiler was not exactly advertised as a big acquisition when the Cleveland Browns acquired him in a trade that included draft picks, yet he seems to be set to be the starting quarterback to begin the season. Osweiler began the preseason opener, and is back in the same role for Monday’s game against the New York Giants.
Joe Thomas expects Brock Osweiler to open the season as the starter
Head coach Hue Jackson has said it. Quarterbacks coach David Lee has said it. And now left tackle Joe Thomas has said it. Rookie DeShone Kizer is not ready to take over the starting quarterback role, so expect veteran Brock Osweiler to be at the controls of the offense when the Cleveland Browns open the season on Sept. 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Myles Garrett and Nate Orchard could be a dynamic duo
One of the major storylines heading into the Cleveland Browns first preseason game was the professional debut of Myles Garrett. While all the focus was on Garrett, the great play of backup defensive end Nate Orchard went a bit unnoticed.
Jabrill Peppers starting to get his mojo working
Cleveland Browns safety Jabrill Peppers has gotten off to a slow start, but a solid day of practice may have been enough for him to get his mojo back.
The NFL wasn’t ready for Jabrill Peppers (The Ringer)
"While the league has supposedly moved toward a flexible-positional future, the multifaceted Michigan star says that his versatility kept him from being drafted higher. He’s out to prove everyone wrong—from all across the field."
NFL news:
Saints fire two orthopedists after misdiagnosis of Delvin Breaux injury. (The Times-Picayune)
"The New Orleans Saints have fired team orthopedists Deryk Jones and Misty Suri after a misdiagnosis of an injury to cornerback Delvin Breaux, according to a league source. Breaux has missed the majority of training camp with what team physicians diagnosed as a leg contusion. On Monday, he underwent X-rays as part of a second opinion that revealed a fractured fibula that will keep him out for four to six weeks, the source said."
Why Colin Kaepernick hasn’t been signed by an NFL team (MMQB)
"We are infatuated with symbols in America: the Stars and Stripes, the Liberty Bell, Confederate statues. This, as much as anything, explains why Colin Kaepernick remains unsigned. It’s not Kaepernick’s national-anthem protests—other players have protested during the anthem, and they have jobs. But Kaepernick was first and far away the most prominent, which made him the symbol of the movement."
"No NFL team is flawless — until now. We narrowed down the 1,696-player pool to build the best possible 53-man roster, all while staying under the $167 million salary cap."
Blake Bortles is the Tom Brady of garbage time (FiveThirtyEight)
"If the Pro Football Hall of Fame had a special wing for Garbage Time, they’d already be sculpting Blake Bortles’s bust. On the surface, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ signal-caller fits the profile of a perfectly mediocre NFL quarterback. But the traditional stats don’t show the true Bortles: He is the NFL’s best when the game is basically over."