The Cleveland Browns entered Week 2 searching for their first victory of the season. In dramatic fashion, the Browns escaped with a 13-10 win over the Green Bay Packers as Andre Szmyt drilled a 55-yard field goal as time expired. In the process, offensive tackle Dawand Jones left the game with a knee injury.
Packers safety Javon Bullard went low when Jones was attempting a block and landed on his right knee. The Ohio State product was ruled out for the remainder of the game. While the Browns will await testing to see the severity of the injury, it looks very clear that Cleveland can't rely on Jones to be a franchise tackle.
Browns Can’t Rely on Dawand Jones
In each of his three seasons in Cleveland, Jones has missed several games. In 2023, he suffered an MCL injury that cost him five games. Just last season, Jones fractured his left fibula in a loss to the New Orleans Saints that ended his year.
Now, for the third straight year, he is set to miss some time due to an injury. While the injury was massively unfortunate and wasn't anything Jones could have done wrong, it looks to be a trend here.
When a player typically gets hurt in every season, they are tabbed as injury-prone, and that label will be added to Jones. The Browns just had Jedrick Wills in town for five years, and he was another player who battled multiple injuries throughout his tenure.
Instead of bringing Willis back, they let him walk in free agency. And with the way things have looked with Jones, the Browns are better off finding a long-term answer elsewhere. He could still be an option for them at tackle since he has shown some potential there, but it will obviously be taken with a grain of salt.
Jones hasn't shown that he can't stay on the field thus far into his NFL career, and Week 3 was the latest example. Head coach Kevin Stefanski didn't provide an update on Jones, saying he'll get an MRI tomorrow. That isn't ideal, but the odds are he will miss time. It's just a matter of how much, but this injury to Jones shows the Browns everything they need to know going forward.