Although it is technically possible, it is difficult to imagine Browns head coach Hue Jackson’s first season in Cleveland go much worse than it has already gone through the first six games, losing each of those six games, and leaving in his wake a litter of injured players. It seems they are dealt a significant injury, or an injury to a significant player, once or twice a game.
Starting safety Jordan Poyer, for starters, suffered a lacerated kidney during Sunday’s loss, and he has remained in the hospital under observation since suffering that injury. During his press conference yesterday, Jackson told reporters that he wasn’t sure if the young man would be able to return to play this season because of that.
Although not nearly as serious an injury, wide receiver Terrelle Pryor also suffered a hamstring injury in the Browns’ Sunday loss, and it is one that the team is going to have to monitor over the course of the week as they try to determine the severity of the injury and whether or not it will result in him missing any time.
Obviously, they can ill afford to have Pryor miss time, as he is one of the few players on the offensive side of the ball that has been a consistent positive force for them. Couple that with the fact that rookie first-round wide receiver Corey Coleman remains out with a fractured hand, and any time missed from Pryor will really put the Browns in a bind, considering most of their roster is made up of rookies.
While Pryor has been a much needed source of positivity in Cleveland this season, his story is really one that is worthy of broader attention around the league, considering the journey that he has taken to get where he is now, performing at a high level at the wide receiver position and living up to his abilities.
Through six games, Pryor has caught 33 passes for 413 yards, averaging 12.5 yards per reception, along with three touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns just came on Sunday, and all three have come in the past three weeks.
With the touchdowns mixed in, Pryor had his best game of the season, also catching a total of nine passes for 75 yards. In Week Three, he also had eight receptions for 144 yards. He was able to hit on a couple of big plays in the first few weeks, but his longest reception since then is 16.
The former quarterback has actually done a bit of everything for the offense this year when called upon, as he has thrown some passes and run the ball as well. He even recorded a rushing touchdown during that 144-yard performance on four carries for 21 yards.
