The Browns got a welcome jolt on Saturday before heading to Nashville.
Cleveland released its latest injury update ahead of Sunday’s Week 7 meeting with the Tennessee Titans, and the big news was that safety Grant Delpit has cleared concussion protocol and has no injury status for the game. The team also activated running back Dylan Sampson from injured reserve, elevated defensive tackle Sam Kamara from the practice squad, and placed guard Teven Jenkins on injured reserve.
Sampson’s return gives the Browns another option back in the backfield. The second-year back has been sidelined for the last five weeks after suffering a lower-body injury on a kickoff in the season opener in Jacksonville. Through 16 games over the past two seasons, he has run for 175 yards on 65 carries, but his biggest value has come through the air, where he has caught 33 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns.
That receiving ability is part of what makes Sampson interesting in Cleveland’s offense. He can create yards after the catch and make defenders miss in space, something he showed with then-rookie Shedeur Sanders last season. With Quinshon also back from injury, it will be worth watching how the Browns deploy Sampson if he’s worked into the game plan.
Kamara’s elevation helps patch over a defensive front that has been dealing with its own wear and tear. Over the past two weeks, he has put together a useful stretch, piling up eight total tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and one quarterback hit. He’s expected to give the line some needed depth as Mason Graham continues to ramp up after returning from injury.
Jenkins, meanwhile, is now shut down for the rest of the immediate stretch. He has not played this season after hurting his back before the Week 1 opener in Jacksonville, and rookie Austin Barber has handled the spot well in his absence, earning mention as one of the league’s top rookies over the first few weeks. Cleveland’s decision to move Jenkins to injured reserve gives him time to recover without the pressure of rushing back too soon.
Delpit’s return is the headliner for the defense. He missed most of the week while in concussion protocol, but he’s now set to play, which is a major boost for a Browns secondary that will be tested by a Titans attack trying to get Tony Pollard and Cam Ward going early. In six seasons in Orange and Brown, Delpit has totaled 476 tackles, two 100-tackle seasons, eight interceptions, 7.5 sacks, 26 tackles for a loss, 24 pass deflections and three forced fumbles.
The Browns and Titans kick off Sunday, Oct. 25, at 1:00 p.m. EST at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
In Other News...
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Martin Emerson Jr. has settled in well with the Saints, Wyatt Teller has been benched by the Texans, and Devin Bush has been playing at a strong level for the Bears. It is the kind of mixed bag that turns a routine look-around into something a little more pointed for Browns followers, because the further these players get from Cleveland, the more their new situations say about how the teams recent talent has been valued elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
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NFL Spin Zones Sayre Bedinger floated a particularly aggressive path, with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and defensive tackle Devan Thompkins as possible first-round targets. It is the kind of projection that fits a team with real draft capital and real uncertainty, but it also comes with the usual warning label: boards shift, needs change and what looks like a clean fit in October can look very different by draft season. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Fans Believe In This Team Again But Still Expect Drama
The Browns have given their fan base something it has not always had in recent years: a reason to believe. After the win over Baltimore, Cleveland moved into first place in the AFC North at 4-2, and confidence around the team jumped to 85 percent. Even with that boost, the mood around the Browns still feels like classic Browns football, with optimism built on results but tempered by the expectation that every Sunday can still turn into a nerve-wracker.
A survey showed 87 percent of Browns fans expect Cleveland to beat Tennessee this week, though plenty still see it as the kind of game that comes down late. Around the league, fans are also sounding off about the seasons officiating, with 79 percent saying there have been too many penalties called. For Browns supporters, the larger question is not whether this team can attract belief anymore, but whether it can keep that trust intact when the next round of drama shows up. [Read more 🡒]