Browns holding breath for DPOY candidate's injury status

The Browns have seen several of their key players go down with injuries this season, which has them holding their breath after the latest injury to Defensive Player of the Year candidate Myles Garrett.

Garrett left Cleveland's Week 12 loss with his shoulder in a sling and was described as "sore but day-to-day." However, now there is belief that the No. 1 overall pick in 2017 actually does have structural damage in his left shoulder, according to Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot.

"Given the fact that Garrett "felt a pop" during the game and couldn't lift his shoulder afterward, it's highly unlikely that there's no damage inside," Cabot writes. "It doesn't mean it will keep him from playing or that he'll need surgery, but there's an issue in the shoulder ... and it got worse on Sunday."

Head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters he still "feels good" about Garrett's chances of playing Sunday despite not practicing on Wednesday.

If Garrett, who has 13 sacks and four forced fumbles on the season, can't get healthy enough to play or make a true impact, the Browns' chances of winning and staying in the AFC playoff race will dramatically decrease.

The team is already expected to see its fourth starting quarterback of 2023 now that there's a "real possibility" 38-year-old QB Joe Flacco, who just signed with the team last Monday, starts for QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who left last week's game with a concussion and never returned.

Cleveland's defense has led the way for much of the season, allowing the least total yards per game (247.9). Without Garrett, or at least an injured one, the Rams have a good chance of staying hot on their first win streak of the season.

It has turned into quite the doomsday scenario for the Browns, whose season began with Super Bowl aspirations. But with injuries continuing to pile up, at what point are they just too much to handle?