Dawand Jones will need season-ending knee surgery after being injured against Green Bay on Sunday.
The Cleveland Browns will be without starting left tackle Dawand Jones for the remainder of the season after he injured his knee on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
It is the latest setback for Jones, the club’s fourth-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, as it marks the third consecutive year he has suffered a season-ending injury. As a rookie, he tore his MCL, and then last season, he fractured his left leg and missed the final 10 games.
Jones was injured on the fourth play of the game after Green Bay’s Javon Bullard hit Jones low while he was blocking on a pass play to tight end David Njoku. Speaking about it on Monday, Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said the Browns would send the play to the NFL office for review as league rules prohibit defenders from initiating a block below the waist against an offensive player if they are outside the tight end box.
Jones, who normally plays left tackle, got the start on the right side because the normal starter Jack Conklin was unable to play as he deals with his own injury, so who knows what might have happened if Jones had been at his normal position.
After Jones went down, KT Leveston took over at right tackle, with Cornelius Lucas playing at left tackle. At the moment, the only other tackles in the building are Joshua Miles and Tyre Phillips, who are both on the practice squad.
Stefanski said the Browns will obviously work through the offensive line issues this week as they prepare to face the Detroit Lions.
If/when Conklin can get back on the field, the Browns can see if they can get by with Leveston and Lucas at left tackle; pick from a sad list of available free agents, which includes familiar faces in Jedrick Wills and Chris Hubbard; or revisit the tired idea of moving Joel Bitonio from left guard to left tackle and plugging in either Zak Zinter or Teven Jenkins at guard.
The latest injury to Jones puts more emphasis on the upcoming offseason for general manager Andrew Berry as it relates to the offensive line. There is no way the Browns can rely on Jones to remain healthy after three straight years of injuries. Bitonio, center Ethan Pocic, and right guard Wyatt Teller are all in the final year of their respective contracts, and Conklin has dealt with his own injury issues and has played in just 14 games since the start of the 2023 season.
Category: General Sports
