As the Browns prepare for the visit of the New York Giants in Cleveland, they are hoping to make it 2-1 into the regular season. After their beating in the first week against the Cowboys, most people thought the Browns would find it hard to come back from that defeat. However, they have since managed to beat the Jaguars in Jacksonville while hosting a Giants team 0-2 going into their third week of NFL showdown.

But things have not flown as smoothly as the Browns would have hoped for after their offensive tackle, Jack Conklin gets downgraded on the injury reserves. Since being given the tag questionable after their practice on Wednesday, Conklin is ruled out against the Giants with a hamstring injury. This would be a heavy blow for the Browns’ defense, which has struggled with injuries since the beginning of the season.

Well, going into this clash, the Browns thought Conklin would play his first snaps since his devastating knee injury that happened last year. Although he was slowly coming back into the squad after practicing for the first time on Wednesday. Conklin yet again finds himself on the treatment table, this time with a different injury.

While he is out, Jedrick Wills Jr could take his place on the back line, although his tag remains questionable going into the match-up. Even Wills is coming back from a knee injury that ruled him out in the first two games of the season. Elsewhere, David Njoku remains out after suffering an ankle injury on the opening weekend against the Cowboys.

But offering some respite to the Browns’ defensive line, Myles Garrett could play after head coach Kevin Stefanski said his foot injury “looked good.” However, Conklin’s absence remains significant after the two-time All-Pro tore his ACL, MCL, PCL and meniscus against the Bengals last year.

Jack Conklin continues his rehab

It was on August 27th this year when Conklin found himself fortunate enough to wear the helmet and cleats again to step on the field. Since his collision in the opening week of last year, Conklin went through hours of rehab to return for the Browns. Sharing his thoughts, Conklin stated, “I think when you go through these rehabs, you can’t look at the day-to-day. You’ve got to look back a week, a month and just start to realize. I have come a long way.”

Even before his devastating injury, Conklin missed 9 games in 2021, having to deal with multiple elbow and knee injuries. Going back to those injury-ridden days, the tackle shared, “Of course, it’s never easy. But like I said, after going through it before, you know the steps and you have more confidence in knowing that you’ll be back.”

Well, Conklin was indeed grateful to be back on the field, as he expressed, “It’s just nice to be back out here with the guys. It feels like normal again.” However, since coming back, the DT has suffered another injury that might push his comeback later rather than soon. Will the defensive tackle manage to get through those recurring injuries thwarting his NFL career? Or are the injuries too much to handle for the Browns’ tackle, who races against time to make an impact in Cleveland?

As we wait for Jack Conklin to make a comeback in Cleveland, do check out our latest Think Tank exclusive interview with Doug Sanders. It’s packed with insights on the current NFL season, college football and more.