3 Reasons the Cleveland Browns could disappoint their fans in 2023
By Greg Newland
2. Injuries once again decimate the Browns roster
One of the biggest downfalls of the 2022 season was injuries. Specifically at linebacker and offensive line, the Cleveland Browns were on the fifth and sixth guys on the depth chart all season.
Part of this is to blame on Berry who continues to have a fascination with drafting players with in-depth histories of injuries, but it also seems like bad luck as well.
For most of the season, it appeared that Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills were playing dinged up, and never had the athleticism to get depth in pass sets to keep the quarterback from getting flushed out of the pocket.
Additionally, guys like Reggie Ragland and Tony Fields got way too many snaps at linebacker because of season ending injuries.
The good news for this team in 2023, they do have a good amount of depth, even at quarterback. Obviously, we don’t want to see anyone go down, but even if the injuries are slightly better than last year it gives this team a fighting chance.
At the same time, it’s tough for me to look at a player who gets hurt every season and think that things are going to magically change.
Berry loves getting high praise and grades on his draft class and free agent signings, but if they can’t be on the field and provide value, I’m not sure that any of that matters.
For 2023 I want one week where the Wednesday injury report isn’t a mile long with soft tissue injuries. If it doesn’t change, I don’t know how this team breaks the cycle of disappointment.