Browns injury report ahead of Week 7 shows a nearly completely available team

Ahead of Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Cleveland Browns reported some positive injury news by way of its injury report from its Wednesday practice. It reflected some known injuries suffered during Week 6 and the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but mostly, it showed that Cleveland will have one of its healthiest squads out on the field this coming Sunday.

Of course, the biggest injury news was no injury news on RB Nick Chubb, who is expected to return to the field this Sunday to a supportive Cleveland crowd and team. Chubb took part in a press conference prior to practice on Wednesday, and his teammates barely let him get a word out before shouting words of encouragement out of excitement for his return.

As of Wednesday, the Browns injury report shows that RB Jerome Ford (hamstring), S Ronnie Hickman (ankle), and C Ethan Pocic (Knee) did not participate in practice. Ford hurt himself early in the game against the Eagles, but D'Onta Foreman and Pierre Strong Jr. stepped up for the team and rushed for 100 yards in his absence. The loss of Pocic hurt more, as his backup, Nick Harris, suffered a season ending leg injury in the game.

The Browns will now have to find help at center as it continues to struggle to find consistency for the offensive line. Last week, G Michael Dunn took snaps at center in place of Harris, but was called for a big penalty during the game that killed momentum on a drive.

Run game set to see boost with Nick Chubb return

The Browns aren't at the bottom of the list of teams in terms of rushing yards per game, but the team could be putting more emphasis on its run game in lieu of expecting QB Deshaun Watson to suddenly look like his early self. Foreman and Strong had great games last week, showing explosiveness with space. Now with Chubb back in the fold and likely taking the brunt of those carries, the Browns have a shot to transform its offense through its run game.

This is good for two reasons. One, it takes the pressure off of the offensive line to hold up for long enough to create a clean pocket for Watson. He faces the most pressures of any quarterback in the league, and that has a lot to do with how long he's holding onto the pigskin even with a clean look downfield. So, giving them time to be more explosive and to worry less about holding on for longer can help to extend the health of the O-line moving forward.

Two, the Browns just lost its biggest target for Watson. Amari Cooper is gone, so Watson has a wide receiver room of Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, and Elijah Moore. HC Kevin Stefanski mentioned ahead of Week 7 that rookie WR Jamari Thrash can now become a factor on the team, but relying on a rookie doesn't seem like a safe bet. Chubb is likely the next man up in this offense with Cooper gone.