No one wants to see injuries impact games, especially this early in the season, but injuries are an unfortunate part of life in the NFL. A number of teams are dealing with some majorly impactful injuries, and the Cleveland Browns are no exception. They are going to be without some of their most important players as they try to get back on track in Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Earlier this week, the Browns announced that they had put guard Wyatt Teller on injured reserve, and the hits continue along the offensive line, as Friday it was announced that the Browns would be without both of their offensive tackles, Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin against the Raiders. For an offense that has struggled in both the run and pass, missing three of their offensive lineman isn’t going to help Deshaun Watson or a struggling running game.
Watson has struggled in a major way this season, and some of those struggles can be attributed to not having a safety valve over the middle like tight end David Njoku. Njoku has been on the shelf the past two weeks with an ankle injury, and the Browns announced Friday that he would miss his third-straight game.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Browns and their struggling run game is going to be without running back Pierre Strong for the second straight game, as he deals with an ankle injury of his own. The Cleveland Browns offense is becoming a veritable mash unit. If there’s one silver lining, it’s that the Raiders are coming into the game banged up, too.
Potentially softening the blow of the Browns missing three offensive lineman is the fact that they won’t have to face Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, as he’ll be out with an ankle injury of his own. On the other side of the ball, the Raiders offense will be hampered by injury as well, as both wide receiver Davante Adams and tight end Michael Mayer have been ruled out.
With all the injuries on both sides of this matchup, fans could be in for an ugly one. Which side does an ugly game benefit? We’ll find out on Sunday.
