The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Injuries to linebackers are biting hard
With Schobert, Burgess out with injuries, Kirksey could move inside from weak side
The Browns got bad news on the injury front Oct. 15, and the worst of it isn’t at their hexed wide receiver spot.
Middle linebacker Joe Schobert, who from the start of 2017 through the first five games of 2018 led the entire NFL with 188 tackles, is weekto-week with a hamstring injury suffered in the 38-14 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 14.
He will not play against the Buccaneers on Oct. 21 in Tampa, Fla.
“He’ll be down for a while,” head coach Hue Jackson said on Oct. 15. “We’ll go week-toweek
with that and see where he is. Hamstrings are tricky. Some last longer. Some end up shorter. We’ll see how that all unfolds.”
Former 49ers and Raiders linebacker NaVorro Bowman will work out for the Browns on Oct. 16, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Bowman, 30, started five games with the 49ers last year and then 10 with the Raiders after being cut by San Francisco. He started 84 of 99 games in his career. He missed the final 12 games of 2016 with a torn Achilles tendon.
Schobert will not be easy to replace. He has three takeaways and leads the Browns with 49 tackles this season. More importantly than what he has contributed statistically, Schobert runs the defense on game day.
“He’s a really, really good athlete,” defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said Oct. 12. “I’m talking about an excellent athlete. On top of that, he’s very smart. He’s very prideful. He does not ever like making a mistake. On top of all of that, our middle linebacker is the quarterback in and on the defense.”
Coaches always talk about “next man up” when a player is injured. James Burgess would normally replace Schobert in the starting lineup, but Burgess also has a hamstring injury and will likely miss the game in Tampa.
The injury situation means starting outside linebacker Christian Kirksey will have to move inside, which could mean moving rookie Genard Avery or starting Tanner Vallejo in Kirksey’s spot at weak side linebacker.