Browns rookie Carson Schwesinger suffers high ankle sprain

The timetable for returns from high ankle sprains can vary along with the grade of severity. While a minor high ankle sprain can be overcome in a week or two, we’ve seen high ankle sprains severely limit a number of players this year. Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb missed three games, Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman spent five games on injured reserve, Panthers quarterback Bryce Young missed Sunday’s game, and Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been out since Week 2 all because of high ankle sprains.

After being initially diagnosed and treated in the post-game locker room Sunday, Schwesinger was seen walking out with a walking boot on his right ankle. The team is likely going to pursue more information to determine the exact severity of the injury before making any determinations on availability for the week. The Browns’ bye week is next up on the schedule, so if the injury is a lower grade sprain, he may not miss any time at all.

If Schwesinger does miss time, though, a thin linebacking corps behind him will be tasked with stepping up. Linebackers Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Nathaniel Watson and Winston Reid all remain on their respective injured lists waiting to make their season debuts. Schwesinger and veteran Devin Bush have dominated time at linebacker so far this year, with backups Jerome Baker and Mohamoud Diabate seeing about a quarter of the snaps of the starters.

Baker and Diabate would likely be the two names in consideration to start in place of Schwesinger. So far this year, Baker has just edged out Diabate for playing time and has done more with his opportunities. Though both have starting experience, Baker has more and would likely be the choice to start next to Bush if needed for a couple of weeks. That would only matter if the rookie starter misses time, and we won’t know the likelihood for that until he undergoes further evaluation.

Another Browns rookie got injured Sunday. Fellow second-round pick Quinshon Judkins left the game early with a shoulder injury. After getting rolled over on a tackle, Judkins was quickly announced as out for the remainder of the game. The promptness for the announcement could have had to do with the disparity in scores of the two teams, but it might have been due to the severity of the injury, as well. His diagnosis will be one to look out for in the next few days, as well.