As frustrating as the season-opening defeat was for the Cleveland Browns, the loss of right tackle Jack Conklin to an eye injury only compounded things. The All-Pro offensive tackle went to the medical tent in the second quarter and never returned to the field. Head coach Kevin Stefanski later told ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi that Conklin was poked in the eye and said, "We'll see how that responds."
The injury looked concerning at first, but some good news was revealed on Wednesday. According to senior Browns analyst Fred Greetham, Cleveland's pre-practice injury report has "no players expected to miss practice due to injury." That is certainly beneficial for the Browns, considering Conklin holds down the right side and plays a pivotal role in keeping quarterback Joe Flacco protected.
Cleveland's Pass Protection Is Not the Same Without Jack Conklin
When Conklin was on the field Sunday, Flacco was not sacked once. After he exited the field, the Browns allowed two sacks and only had one touchdown drive the rest of the game. Although the standout tackle has experienced injuries throughout his previous five seasons in the league, his strength and mobility help the run game succeed, freeing up Flacco in the pocket.
With Conklin out of the lineup, Cornelius Lucas came into the game alongside Wyatt Teller. The offense still had flashes of success moving the ball with Conklin out of the lineup, but his absence was definitely felt and will be going forward if he is not on the field. Lucas finished with a nothing-special 59.7 Pro Football Focus pass block grade, which was only slightly better than Conklin (59.4) across 36 more snaps.
Jones, for comparison, was the team's worst pass blocker with a grade of 33.0.
A matchup against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2 may not seem favorable, but after they blew a 15-point fourth-quarter lead to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, Baltimore's mistakes and failure to close out the game on both sides of the ball could offer a chance at redemption for the Browns.
Cleveland has some areas it certainly needs to clean up after losing a game it easily could have won against the Cincinnati Bengals, had a few plays gone a little differently. With an encouraging pre-practice injury report and the potential for Conklin to return to the offensive line, the Browns are trending in the right direction to give the Ravens a challenge this week.