Emmanuel Ogbah is a reason why the Cleveland Browns did not address the defensive end position in the first round of April’s NFL Draft. Head coach Hue Jackson now has to deal with Ogbah’s absence for some time due to an ankle injury.
Defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah expected to miss time with sprained ankle. #Browns https://t.co/Rt6o6T3FTT
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) September 10, 2018
Jackson revealed the news at his Monday media briefing following the season opening 21-21 tie to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ogbah is likely to miss Sundays game against the New Orleans Saints and perhaps a few games after that.
“It might be something like that,” Jackson said. “I don’t think it’s the ankle sprain that lasts six weeks or whatever that is, but we’ll see exactly where it is here later on today.”
Jackson could not confirm if Ogbah has the dreaded high ankle sprain. If that is the case, the injury could force Ogbah to miss six weeks or more. The injury happened on the final play of the first quarter.
“He was able to play through it in the game, but we’ll see how it responds,” Jackson said. “He may miss some time. But we’ll work through that, too.”
#Browns defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah expected to miss time with ankle injury https://t.co/TRVOkKF9sw
— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) September 10, 2018
It’s a tough loss because the Browns hoped to build one of the top pass rushing duos in the league with Ogbah and Myles Garrett.
So with Ogbah injured, who will the Browns replace him with? There is depth at the position, so there are options. Anthony Zettel is one candidate. The Browns claimed Zettel off waivers from the Detroit Lions last week. Zettel was inactive on Sunday in order to get time to learn Gregg Williams’ defensive system. Zettel played in all 16 games in Detroit last season.
Chris Smith replaced Ogbah on Sunday. Rookie draft picks Genard Avery and Chad Thomas could see some snaps at defensive end in addition to Ifeadi Odenigbo.
“I think we have some guys that can do it,” Jackson said. “We’ve just got to go get them prepared and ready to do it.”
The Browns will need these guys to step up and get pressure on Drew Brees this Sunday if the Browns hope to get win number one on the season.
Scott Piker is the Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage Browns. So follow him on twitter @ScottPikerSport
