Daily Dawg Tags: Injuries hitting the defensive line
By Thomas Moore
The Cleveland Browns took a hit on the defensive line after placing Emmanuel Ogbah and Jamie Meder on injured reserve.
The Cleveland Browns return to the practice field on Wednesday as they prepare for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
When the Browns travel down I-71 to take on the Bengals, they will be looking for not only their first win of the season, but also to break a six-game losing streak to the Bengals, one where the Browns have lost by an average score of 30-8.
The 4-6 Bengals are not very good, although they are coming off a road win over the Denver Broncos, who are led, of course, by noted “football lifer” and alleged quarterback genius John Elway.
The Browns will be making the trip with some new additions to the roster after several transactions on Tuesday.
The club placed defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah and defensive tackle Jamie Meder on the injured reserve list. Ogbah broke his foot and Meder suffered a high-ankle sprain during last Sunday’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Ogbah is a major loss to the defense as he and fellow defensive end Myles Garrett were having a good time harassing opposing quarterbacks. Meder is a nice rotational player in the middle of the line, and while not as major as Ogbah, is absence will still be felt.
The Browns filled those spots by promoting defensive lineman Tyrone Holmes from the practice squad and signing defensive back Justin Currie, according to the team’s website.
Holmes has bounced on and off the roster since joining the Browns in 2016 after being cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played in 11 games last season and looked solid during the preseason this summer, only to be a surprise roster cut.
The Browns brought him back when Garrett missed the first four games of the season with a high-ankle sprain, and Holmes played in one game before heading to the practice squad for the past two months.
Currie joined the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent out of Western Michigan in 2015. He was on injured reserve as a rookie and ultimately joined Cleveland’s practice squad for the final four games of the 2016 season.
Holmes is obviously a replacement for Ogbah on the edge, but the fact that the Browns replaced Meder’s roster spot with a defensive back would make it appear that rookie Caleb Brantley should be seeing more playing time in the final six weeks of the season.
Cleveland Browns news:
Hue Jackson nearing 40-year record for futility
The Cleveland Browns are on quite a roll under head coach Hue Jackson. The league has not seen a coach start off his tenure with a team so poorly since John McKay left the comfort of USC to take over the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976.
Browns vs. Jaguars: Offensive takeaways
The Cleveland Browns had a rough day on offense against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11. Here is what stood out from the unit.
Josh Gordon set to practice with the Browns (ohio.com)
"The return of Josh Gordon has Hue Jackson so excited that the coach is mixing up his holidays. Gordon is scheduled to practice Wednesday with the 0-10 Browns on the eve of Thanksgiving. But the thought of No. 12 on the field has Jackson’s mind fast-forwarding to next month."
Tunnel vision setting in for the Browns (cleveland.com)
"Back in training camp, when Browns head coach Hue Jackson was working through the decision about who to start at quarterback, he was asked about whether the front office would be involved with his decision. That, of course was early August. Ten losses in a row later, Jackson didn’t sound interested in discussing the organization as a whole."
NFL news:
Long live the butt fumble (ESPN)
"Think we’ve put this, ahem, behind us? Think again. On its fifth anniversary, we proudly present the definitive oral history of the best worst play in football."
Denver names Paxton Lynch the starter against Oakland (Denver Post)
"After swapping offensive coordinators in search of a simpler offense, the Broncos on Tuesday appointed the quarterback to run it. Paxton Lynch will take over as starting quarterback for Sunday’s game at Oakland and Trevor Siemian will be his backup, according to league sources."
Raiders fire defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. (Mercury News)
"The Raiders have fired defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. 10 games into his third season with Oakland, the team announced Tuesday afternoon. Head coach Jack Del Rio delivered the news to his team after Tuesday’s walkthrough."