BEREA — The dawning of a new season was upon the Browns. Almost as quickly, the season ended for tackle Jack Conklin.
On the Browns' 22nd play of last season, about 18 minutes into their season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, Conklin found himself in an all-too-familiar position. The two-time Pro Bowler was laying on the field in pain after yet another season-ending knee injury.
At that moment — after the Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson rolled into the back of Conklin's leg, tearing both his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments — he could've wondered what football god he angered to suffer his second major knee injury in three seasons. He could've asked if all of it was worth yet another arduous rehab process.
Instead, Conklin took a pragmatist's view of the situation.
"No, it sucks, but it's football and if a 280-pound guy falls inside your leg, there's no rehab or strength that's going to stop that from blowing out your knees," Conklin said Tuesday. "So it's one of those things that it's a freak thing, but it happens. I had the opportunity to rehab it and get back."
The return to the game field remains more than a week away, assuming — a likelihood — Conklin's in the starting lineup when the Browns open the season Sept. 8 against the Dallas Cowboys. It'll be a return to the same field where his season ended before it ever really got going, something that's unavoidable when it's your home stadium.
For now, Conklin — and others — had to just take satisfaction in returning to the practice field. He was one of four Browns players who practiced for the first time this preseason after having spent all of training camp on injury lists.
Conklin, along with safety D'Anthony Bell (shin) and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (knee), spent all of camp on the physically unable to perform list. Cornerback Greg Newsome II, meanwhile, returned from the non-football injury list after July surgery to repair a hamstring tear.
"I thought all those guys looked good," head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "We had a good long individual period, just to really focus. Today was refining our position skills and I thought the guys did a nice job of that. So, both guys look good.”
Newsome's injury happened while he was preparing for this season at his college alma mater, Northwestern University. He heard a pop during a workout, but didn't go get an MRI on the hamstring until days later.
The surgery may have cost Newsome training camp. Never once did he think the opener was going to be in jeopardy.
"I knew it the whole time," Newsome said. "Yeah, everybody was saying six to eight weeks. I said I'm Wolverine, I'll be back before that. I feel like I could have been back two weeks ago. I was just working hard to get out there and yeah, I knew I would be back."
Both Conklin and Newsome return just when they're needed the most. The former — normally a right tackle — may be needed to fill the Browns' current hole at left tackle, while the latter is needed while their No. 1 cornerback — Denzel Ward — remains in the concussion protocol after the fifth documented concussion of his seven-year pro career.
Conklin's task hinges on another player, Jedrick Wills Jr., getting back on the practice field after his own season-ending knee injury last November. Wills was also activated from the PUP list on Monday with the other players, but was only expected to go through walkthroughs this weeks.
"Yeah, played three years of it in college," Conklin said. "It's a little odd, but it's not foreign. It's something that I did for a long time at a high level, so that's where they ask me to do it. I'm excited to do it."
That's because Conklin's well aware of the alternative. It's something he's experienced way too often.
