Cleveland Browns: Joe Schobert returns to practice at much-needed time

The Cleveland Browns finally received some good injury news when linebacker Joe Schobert returned to the practice field on Wednesday.

Over the past couple of weeks, the Cleveland Browns injury report continued to grow. Middle linebacker Joe Schobert was one of the players on the injury report, but it looks like he is about to come off that list.

On Wednesday, Schobert returned to the practice field for the first time since injuring his hamstring against the Los Angeles Chargers just over three weeks ago.

Schobert returned to the practice field on the same day that the Browns announced that linebacker Christian Kirksey was being placed on injured reserve.

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During Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs, Kirksey suffered a hamstring injury in the second half, forcing the Browns to play Tanner Vallejo in his place.

Kirksey had moved from WILL linebacker to middle linebacker when Schobert was dealing with the hamstring injury.

The Browns defense has been hampered with injuries the last few weeks, and the results of those injuries have been apparent on the field. So far this season, the Browns have lost Schobert, Kirksey, Terrance Mitchell, and E.J. Gaines to injuries.

Mitchell remains on injured reserve, while Kirksey and Gaines were placed on the list on Wednesday. Mitchell did say that he plans on returning this season, but his when he returns still remains to be seen.

If Schobert can have a successful week of practice, it would be a shock to not see him on the field against the Falcons this Sunday. Atlanta boasts one of the best offenses in the NFL, and the Browns having their defensive leader back on the field would be much-needed.

Schobert has been excellent in pass coverage this season, and the Browns defense is going to need his presence in the middle of the field. And with how bad the run defense has been the entire season, having a solid tackler like Schobert will also be a major benefit.

It will be interesting to see how Gregg Williams would decide to use Schobert if he returns this week, as he was dropping the linebacker into the deep middle of the field often earlier in the season. In fact, Schobert hurt his hamstring dropping into that coverage against the Chargers. If the Browns feel he is not 100 percent, they may not risk putting Schobert 10-15 yards into coverage every other play.

But with all of the injuries on the defensive side of the ball, Schobert returning to the practice field is something the team needed. His presence on the field will help limit the impact of not having the other defensive starters playing.