For the second straight year, Jakeem Grant is facing a major injury suffered in August. The Browns wideout and returner suffered a patella injury on Saturday, and it could keep him sidelined for the campaign.
Grant has suffered a potential broken patella, per Mary Cay Kabot of cleveland.com. A break would represent the best-case scenario compared to a tear, which would be season-ending. Cabot adds that an MRI will be conducted on Sunday, and more will be learned then. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport echoed Kabot's thoughts, reporting Grant is in danger of missing the entire season.
A tear would be a particularly brutal development for the 30-year-old, since he is barely one year removed from an Achilles tear. The latter ailment ended his 2022 campaign before it began, delaying his Browns regular season debut in the process. Grant spent the first five-plus years of his career with the Dolphins before being traded to the Bears in 2021. During the subsequent offseason, he signed with the Browns on a three-year deal.
Expectations were high for the former sixth-rounder given the maximum value (nearly $14M) of that pact, but the injury altered Grant’s situation. He restructured his contract this offseason, a move which lowered his 2023 cap hit to just under $1.8M. More notably, especially in light of Saturday’s news, the agreement removed the final year of his contract; 2024 is now classified as a void year on the Browns’ cap sheet.
If Grant does wind up missing most (or all) of the coming season, he will hit free agency after two years spent on the sidelines. The MRI results will go a long way in determining if he makes Cleveland’s 53-man roster during cutdowns in the coming days. Releasing the Texas Tech product would yield $1.13M in cap savings while creating $667K in dead money.
Grant’s best offensive season came in 2020, when he posted 373 yards. His more notable contributions have come on special teams, as he has totaled 119 punt returns and ran back 110 kickoffs across his 81 career games. His presence would be missed once again by the Browns if he is shelved for another campaign. For the time being, team and player will hope that is not the case.
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