The Cleveland Browns' injury report has arrived ahead of Saturday's Week 18 clash with the Baltimore Ravens, and it's quite a doozy.
If anyone thought Cleveland might be aiming to play to win against a Ravens team that's a shoo-in for the postseason, you may want to revisit that thought. Based on the lengthy injury report put out today ahead of the team's practice, it's clear they're prioritizing players' longterm health over any shortterm evaluation in the final game of the season.
Final injury report for Browns is as long as a CVS receipt
You know those jokes about how CVS loves to kill trees when they print your receipt out? That's exactly how long it feels like the Browns' injury report is. According to ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi, Cleveland has listed a whopping ten players as either out or questionable for Week 18 against the Ravens.
Player | Status |
|---|---|
David Njoku | Out |
Pierre Strong Jr. | Out |
Jordan Hicks | Out |
Denzel Ward | Out |
Jerome Ford | Out |
Ogbo Okoronkwo | Questionable |
Dalvin Tomlinson | Questionable |
Blake Whiteheart | Questionable |
Jameis Winston | Questionable |
Michael Woods II | Questionable |
Firstly, the running back room is clearly decimated ahead of Week 18. With no Jerome Ford or Pierre Strong Jr., expect to see a ton of D'Onta Foreman and whoever the Browns raise up from the practice squad to take a bulk of the carries on the ground. Secondly, with David Njoku out and Blake Whiteheart questionable, we'll be sure to see a lot of Jordan Akins involved on offense at tight end.
Defensively, it does make sense that Denzel Ward is out for this one. After hurting his shoulder in an inconsequential Week 17 game against the Miami Dolphins, there's just no need to risk further injury to the Pro Bowl cornerback during the last game of the season. As for Jordan Hicks, it's unfortunate that he'll be out as he could use even more reps at linebacker with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah out.
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Week 18 is sure to bring a ton of names to Browns fans' ears that they've never heard before given this injury report. With so many starters out, look to a few rookies like Mike Hall Jr. and Jowon Briggs to get a bulk of snaps on the defensive line, and for Jamari Thrash to get more run with Michael Woods II questionable and as the offense led by Dorian Thompson-Robinson needs all the help it can get.
With Jameis Winston also questionable, it seems like head coach Kevin Stefanski's suggestion that he'd try playing both Thompson-Robinson and backup Bailey Zappe at quarterback in Week 18 has some life. If Winston is listed as the emergency QB, Zappe is likely to get some snaps behind Thompson-Robinson if he struggles with turnovers again.