Cleveland Browns: Emmanuel Ogbah injury creates interesting problem

The Cleveland Browns will be without Emmanuel Ogbah for an unknown period of time, and it will create an interesting problem for the Browns.

The Cleveland Browns received their first big injury blow of the season, as starting defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah suffered an ankle injury Sunday against the Steelers.

Ogbah initially injured his ankle at the end of the first quarter and left the game for some snaps. He would later return to the game, but seemed to be struggling on the ankle.

On Monday, Browns head coach Hue Jackson said that Ogbah will miss the Browns’ Week 2 game against the Saintss, and potentially more – via Dan Labbe of cleveland.com.

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"“I don’t know if it’s a true high ankle sprain,” Jackson said. “It might be something like that, I don’t think it’s the ankle ankle sprain that lasts six weeks or whatever that is, but we’ll see exactly where it is here later on today.”"

The loss of Ogbah will force Gregg Williams to make changes to his defensive personnel. When Ogbah left the game, Chris Smith was the defensive end that saw the most snaps in his place. Smith played well, making three total tackles, including 0.5 tackle for loss.

With a week of preparation, Williams may dial up some interesting personnel changes. Smith will most likely take over as the starting defense end, but he may not get the amount of snaps a starting defensive end would usually get.

Instead of primarily playing Smith on the edge for most of the game, Ogbah’s injury could lead to rookie Genard Avery getting more snaps. According to clevelandbrowns.com, Avery played 51 percent of the defensive snaps on Sunday, while Smith played 68 percent. Avery made four total tackles, including a sack.

When Avery is in the game, he will play on the edge while Ogbah would be kicked inside. But without Ogbah, it’s uncertain if the Browns would run the same package with Smith in the game.

Another interesting aspect is how much the Browns plan to use recent addition Anthony Zettel. Zettel was inactive against the Steelers, as the Browns claimed him only three days before the game. It would be expected that he plays snaps against the Saints, but likely in a limited capacity as he continues to learn the Browns defense.

No matter what, the Browns defensive staff will have interesting conversations as they attempt to replace Ogbah. Smith and Avery are likely the favorites, but how they are used and how many snaps they get Week 2 will be interesting to watch.