Browns Lose Pro Bowler Against Giants, Forcing Emergency Option

The Cleveland Browns lost Pro Bowl guard Wyatt Teller to a knee injury in the third quarter against the New York Giants on Sunday.

It wasn’t clear where the injury happened but he made his way to the medical tent and later to the locker room. Fox sideline reporter Megan Olivi confirmed Teller’s knee injury and said the team initially had a cart out for him, but he chose to walk back to the locker room. Teller was ruled out for the rest of the matchup with the Browns down 21-7.

The Browns are in a tough spot, dealing an increasingly battered offensive line. Shortly after Teller’s injury, backup James Hudson III also went down, followed by Jedrick Wills, who was making his first start of the season.

Wills immediately clutched his surgically repaired knee, adding to the team’s growing concerns. Hudson (shoulder), Teller (knee) and Wills (knee) will have MRIs to see the extent of the injuries.

Cleveland is also missing starting right tackle Jack Conklin, who has yet to play this season due to injury.

With limited healthy bodies, the Browns were forced into an “emergency” situation on their offensive line. Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio moved from left guard to left tackle. Nick Harris came in at center, bumping starting center Ethan Pocic to left guard.

Browns Haven’t Had Healthy Offensive Line

The offensive line injuries are unfortunate, considering the unit was inching closer to getting healthy. And it’s not an easy job to step into, with Deshaun Watson often looking to extend plays with his legs.

“You block as long as you have to for the guy to throw the ball. That’s what we talk about, we talk about ugly strain,” Browns offensive line coach Andy Dickerson said on Friday, September 20. “Somebody’s trying to get to your guy, so you have to strain. I’ve been around quarterbacks who like to run around a little bit, so it’s just part of the process, it’s part of the game and you never know where these guys are going to be. And that’s the beauty of it because you’re blocking and all of a sudden, you’ll know what’s going on and then there’s an explosive down the field. So, you block until the ball is thrown. You call it, we haul it. Those are the rules.”

Although the sack numbers were down from Week 1, the offensive line gave up a whopping 18 pressures against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The pressure was plentiful against the Giants as well. Watson was sacked eight times against New York, and the Browns lost 48 yards on those plays.

Browns Fall to Giants in Rough Week 3

To add insult to injury, the Browns fell to the Giants 21-15 in a game in which they were nearly a touchdown favorite. Cleveland had a chance late but was unable to mount any offense.

A drop from Cedric Tillman stood out, with the ball from Watson hitting him in between the numbers on fourth down. It gave the Giants the ball back and they were able to run out the remainder of the clock.

Watson finished his day 21 of 37 for 196 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Amari Cooper.

One bright spot for the Browns in the matchup was Cooper’s breakout performance after a slow start to the season. Coming into Week 3 with only 5 catches for 27 yards, Cooper wasted no time making an impact. On the very first play of the game, he hauled in a 24-yard touchdown pass from Watson, nearly matching his season’s production in a single moment.

Cooper finished with 7 catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns.