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The Cleveland Browns’ linebacker room is much deeper than last season, but took a hit when it was revealed Friday that Jacob Phillips suffered a torn biceps tendon in training camp and will probably miss the 2021 campaign.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the news of Phillips’ injury, as the second-year player out of LSU is going to be sidelined for a lengthy period of time.
According to the Browns’ unofficial depth chart that was initially released before Week 1 of the preseason, Phillips was due to be the second-string MIKE linebacker behind free-agent acquisition Anthony Walker Jr.
Starting SAM linebacker Sione Takitaki suffered a hamstring injury during Thursday’s practice and left the field along with Phillips, as Cleveland’s depth on defense is being seriously challenged.
During his final college season, Phillips racked up 113 combined tackles, so he has a nose for the football whose ideal role is to fly around and make plays versus the run. Takitaki is an excellent run defender in his own right, but like Phillips, is inconsistent in coverage.
See where the Browns’ D rates in our latest NFL defense rankings
While it’s unclear how much time Takitaki will miss, and it seems like his injury situation is far less severe than Phillips’, it’ll nevertheless be key for Cleveland to avoid any more setbacks to its new-look defense.
Rookie Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is going to see a lot more action, and his emergence at the WILL position may force training camp standout Mack Wilson to slide to the strong side. NFL network’s Ian Rapoport later reported that Cleveland signed Willie Harvey Jr., who played on the team in 2019 and was waived in last year’s camp.
The Browns have also seen safeties Grant Delpit, Ronnie Harrison and Sheldrick Redwine miss extended time with injuries in camp. Harrison has returned to practice, and all of them should all be good to go in due time, but it’s still concerning to have depth tested this early before the 17-game regular season begins.
See our game-by-game predictions and full breakdown of the 2021 Cleveland Browns schedule