BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland‘s defensive line depth is suddenly a concern as second-year ends Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas could miss significant time for the Browns with knee injuries.
Before Monday’s practice, coach Kevin Stefanski revealed both injuries while providing few other details or a timetable for recovery.
Stefanski did say the injuries could stretch into the regular season, which begins Sept. 10 against Cincinnati.
Stefanski said one of the ends was injured in Thursday night’s Hall of Fame game against the New York Jets and the other was hurt “before” that.
Wright and Thomas are listed as Cleveland‘s respective Nos. 4 and 5 ends behind All-Pro Myles Garrett, Za’Darius Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo.
The Browns revamped their defensive front this offseason – Smith came via trade and Okoronkwo as a free agent – after the unit underperformed in 2022.
Wright and Thomas both missed Sunday’s workout along with defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, who got poked in the eye.
Thomas, a seventh-round pick in 2022, was on the field for 25 plays against the Jets. Wright played 15 snaps.
Cleveland selected Wright, who played at UAB, in the third round in 2022. Thomas, a standout at Oklahoma, was picked in the seventh round that year.
The Browns signed end Charles Wiley to help offset the injuries. He played at Texas-San Antonio and spent time with the Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants last season.
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