Cleveland Browns pick up a small win to hang their hats on a day after opening the season with a loss to the Bengals

The Cleveland Browns were hit with rough injury news during training camp when starting cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. was lost for the season with an Achilles injury. Greg Newsome II stepped up well in his place as a boundary cornerback to start the season against the Cincinnati Bengals. Still, Emerson became the second defensive starter the Browns lost for the year, with linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah already sidelined.

Week 1 is always a worrisome time for injuries when the pads start popping again. Not every team plays starters in the preseason, and those that do rarely play them extensively. That adjustment once real football begins often leads to soft-tissue issues. Fortunately, Cleveland came out of Week 1’s loss with just one injury against the Bengals—an eye injury to right tackle Jack Conklin.

Kevin Stefanski provides positive update on Browns RT Jack Conklin

Conklin was limited to just 20 offensive snaps before being forced to exit with the injury. He was initially listed as questionable to return but never made it back into the game. Veteran swing tackle Cornelius Lucas stepped in and logged 56 snaps at right tackle. The good news is that Conklin is expected to be available for the Week 2 matchup against the Ravens.

“Jack Conklin is doing better,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday. “He got poked in the eye yesterday, but he’s doing much, much better than yesterday.”

Conklin’s absence was especially concerning given his history. He was lost in the 2023 season opener against the Bengals with a major injury, so suffering another setback in the opener against the same opponent was an eerie coincidence. This time, however, a catastrophic injury was avoided. Conklin went on to play 12 games last year after returning from that initial setback, a positive sign after missing significant time in two of his five seasons in Cleveland.

Against Cincinnati, Cleveland gave up two sacks of Joe Flacco. Center Ethan Pocic allowed one of them, while Lucas surrendered five pressures on 43 pass-blocking snaps. Left tackle Dawand Jones struggled most, giving up a game-high seven pressures while dealing with defensive end Trey Hendrickson. Getting Conklin back allows Lucas to return to his swing role and gives the Browns more stability up front if Jones’ struggles continue.

Escaping a physical AFC North battle with just one injury is a win for Cleveland. Having Conklin available against a tough Ravens defense in Week 2 will be critical. The Browns haven’t always enjoyed good injury luck, so this update is one they’ll gladly take.

window.addEventListener('message', function (event) {if (event.data.totalpoll && event.data.totalpoll.action === 'resizeHeight') {document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-424').height = event.data.totalpoll.value;}}, false);document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-424').contentWindow.postMessage({totalpoll: {action: 'requestHeight'}}, '*');