CLEVELAND (AP) — The Browns got a little lucky before getting to Las Vegas.
On Friday, the Raiders ruled out wide receiver Davante Adams and defensive end Maxx Crosby — the team’s two best players — with injuries ahead of Sunday’s game against Cleveland, a development that caused a massive swing in betting odds.
Crosby injured his ankle two weeks ago and struggled on Sunday against Carolina. One of the league’s elite pass rushers, Crosby will miss a game for the first time in his career.
Adams injured his hamstring in practice on Thursday.
Crosby’s injury is a pregame win for the Browns, who have been ravaged by injuries to their offensive line and will be without starting left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. He injured his right knee last week while making his season debut following surgery in December.
Wills will sit out along with tackle Jack Conklin and tight end David Njoku, who were all ruled out Friday before practice by coach Kevin Stefanski. Running back Pierre Strong Jr. (hamstring) will also miss the game.
With Wills out, Stefanski will again be forced to play at least one backup and maybe more. It was a similar situation last week, when the Browns (1-2) lost three offensive linemen to injuries in a 21-15 loss to the New York Giants.
Cleveland’s had major protection problems up front as Deshaun Watson was sacked eight times last week and has been dropped a league-high 16 times in three games.
Another positive for the Browns is that Myles Garrett practiced for the second straight day while dealing with injuries to both feet, an Achilles tendon and thigh. The NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year said Thursday that he’s not 100% but “good enough” to play.
A first-round pick in 2020, Wills finally got back on the field following knee surgery and rehab only to hurt the same knee when he got rolled up on by a New York defensive player in the third quarter.
Wills didn’t practice this week but had expressed optimism he could play. James Hudson III, who hurt his shoulder against the Giants, will likely take his spot against the Raiders.
Hudson had taken over at right tackle last week when Dawand Jones, who has been dealing with knee issues, was ineffective and benched at halftime.
Conklin was on the cusp of playing right or left tackle last week, but the two-time All-Pro suffered a hamstring injury in practice. He hasn’t played since hurting his knee in last year’s opener and undergoing reconstructive surgery.
If all that wasn’t enough, the Browns placed right guard Wyatt Teller on injured reserve earlier this week. Teller sprained a knee ligament against New York and will miss at least four games.
Stefanski wanted to get through Friday’s practice before committing to his starters on the line.
“I know we have options,” he said. “There’s things that we can do based on who’s available.”
As the injuries piled up last week, left guard Joel Bitonio moved to tackle, center Ethan Pocic slid to left guard, Nick Harris played center and rookie Zak Zinter replaced Teller. Zinter is expected to make his first NFL start Sunday.
Njoku sprained his ankle in the opener and missed the past two games, depriving Watson of one of his top playmakers. He returned to practice on a limited basis Thursday but isn’t ready to play just yet.
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