The Cleveland Browns have been hit with yet another injury. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Thursday that cornerback Denzel Ward sustained a knee injury during practice, according to ESPN. It's not yet clear if Ward will be able to play in Saturday's Super Wild Card Weekend playoff game against the Houston Texans.
Ward, who made the Pro Bowl for the third time in his six NFL seasons, missed three games due to injury this year. He sat out the team's Week 18 game, along with other starters, to ensure he'd be healthy heading into the playoffs. Now, he might not be.
The Browns have dealt with a rash of injuries throughout the season, including to Deshaun Watson and Nick Chubb, each of their starting and backup offensive tackles, safeties Rodney McLeod and Grant Delpit (who was designated to return from injured reserve), kicker Dustin Hopkins, defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, linebacker Anthony Walker, and return man Jakeem Grant, among others.
They also had Myles Garrett, Amari Cooper, Joel Bitonio, David Njoku, Greg Newsome, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Juan Thornhill, Ethan Pocic, Cedric Tillman, Kareem Hunt, Corey Bojorquez, and several more players on their injury report as either did not practice or limited practice participants at different times this week.
Ward's potential absence could be especially concerning against the Texans, who bring C.J. Stroud and an explosive passing offense to the table. Ward is the best matchup for Texans wideout Nico Collins from a size and physicality standpoint, and the team could now be shorthanded when going against one of the more productive receivers in football this season.
Cleveland's defense has already been not quite as stingy on the road as it has been at home, and if it can't contain Stroud and Co., that will put even more pressure on the Joe Flacco-led offense to keep pace.
