Zachary Engberg
2 min read • August 04, 2022
Posted in
2021 record: 8-9 | 2022 FanDuel 0/U win total: TBD
The Browns have been the talk of the offseason after their vaunted pairing of Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr. came to an unceremonious end last season.
Mayfield is now in Carolina and the Browns await the NFL‘s punishment for their new $230 million quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Watson is the head of a new-look Browns' offense, but will likely miss a major portion of the season.
Cleveland has some injury concerns on the offensive side of the ball around Watson.
Two key offensive lineman that helped make up one of the NFL‘s most talented groups – Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills Jr. – were limited by injuries in 2021.
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt missed 11 combined games last season, leaving undrafted rookie D’Ernest Johnson starting in key games, and continue to age at a position where age and production trend in opposite directions.
Amari Cooper comes over from Dallas as the new No. 1 receiver after posting his worst season with 68 receptions for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. He missed two games on the COVID-19/reserve list after playing through rib and hamstring injuries, but neither are serious and the 28-year-old will be healthy for training camp.
All-pro defensive end Myles Garrett had a rebound season after a bout with COVID-19 in 2020 significantly limited his health and production.
Garrett logged a pro-bowl campaign but suffered a groin injury that tampered with the final few games while the rest of the defense remained mostly healthy.
Rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Karamoah missed three games with a high-ankle sprain but returned to finish the season and figures to take a step in 2022.
The Browns secondary, ranked third in the NFL for the upcoming season by PFF, could be even better this season as safety Grant Delpit enters his second full season since tearing his Achilles in August 2020 and young cornerbacks Greg Newsome II and Greedy Williams go into their second and third seasons in the league, respectively.
Chubb and Hunt played in only seven games together in 2021 mostly due to back-to-back calf and high-ankle injuries for Hunt.
Chubb suffers from residual laxity and wear-and-tear arthritis due to a multi-ligament knee injury in 2015 but has proven he can play through the lingering ailments, rushing for 4,816 yards and 36 touchdowns on over five yards per attempt in his career.
Hunt, who was on pace for over 1,400 total yards before the calf strain in Week 6, is entering a contract season and has said he’d like to stay in Cleveland long-term.
Right tackle Jack Conklin collapsed on the field last November after suffering a ruptured right patella tendon, ending his 2021 season and postponing his debut in 2022.
The significant knee injury carries a 9-to-12 month recovery timeline, meaning the veteran tackle has a strong chance of beginning training camp on the PUP list as he continues his rehab, according to the Pro Football Docs. Expect about two-thirds of Conllin’s normal production in 2022 as he rehabs the second major knee injury of his career following a 2018 torn left ACL.
The Browns’ blindside, however, looks to be secure as Wills Jr. is healthy after working through an ankle sprain that limited him to only 77% of the team’s snaps.
The former No. 1 overall pick played all 17 games and made a career-high 51 tackles and 16 sacks in 2021 but finished the season with only one sack over his last four games after suffering a groin injury in Week 15.
The Pro Football Docs noted at the time that Garrett appeared limited after the injury, which can hinder a pass-rusher's production.
Written by Zachary Engberg
