Cleveland Browns: Kareem Hunt, JOK out several weeks

Every NFL team deals with injuries and right now the injury bug has caught the Cleveland Browns.

When it rains, it pours and that is certainly the case for the Browns. During Sunday’s embarrassing blowout loss to the Cardinals, running back Kareem Hunt and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah both left due to injuries.

Both players are expected to miss several weeks.

For Hunt, he went down with a non-contact injury, that luckily was a calf injury and not his Achilles. Regardless, it appears as if Hunt will be heading to the IR, which is even more troublesome as fellow back Nick Chubb is nursing a calf injury of his own.

Hunt and Chubb are the league’s best running back tandem and now it looks like both will miss the game Thursday night against the Broncos.

When Chubb got injured, Browns fans didn’t fret too much as Hunt would be a starter on roughly 25 other teams around the league. However, he was previously banged up with wrist and knee issues, but the confidence still remained.

Unfortunately for Hunt and the Browns, there was no chance to establish the running game against the Cardinals as they were doing whatever they wanted on offense.

On the defensive side of the ball, rookie Owusu-Koramoah will be out an estimated four-to-six weeks with a high ankle sprain. For a defense that has given up points in droves over the past three weeks, this is a major blow.

JOK has started in five of the team’s first six games and was putting together quite the rookie campaign. He has 29 tackles (20 solo), a half-sack, four passes defensed, a tackle for loss, forced fumble, and quarterback hit.

He has shown he can play virtually anywhere on the field as he did a tremendous job in coverage as well as showing he can get to whoever has the ball. He was considered a second-round steal by many around the league when the Browns drafted him with the 52nd overall pick. Through five games, he was proving that notion right, but unfortunately, we won’t see him for the next month-plus.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski doesn’t expect anyone to feel sorry for the Browns, as “Injuries are part of the NFL.”

Hunt and JOK only add to the laundry list of players who are dealing with injuries. Baker Mayfield has a shoulder injury that he intends to play through.

Both of his offensive tackles are dealing with injuries, with Jedrick Wills Jr. has an ankle sprain and Jack Conklin is battling through a knee injury. Both of them missed the game against the Cardinals. Odell Beckham Jr. missed some action on Sunday as he banged his shoulder up.

Last week, nearly the entire defensive lineup missed practice time at one point or another.

Injuries can derail a promising season and now the Browns must figure out a way to navigate this bumpy road in order the keep all the hopes and aspirations of the season alive.