Browns defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo, safety Juan Thornhill, center Ethan Pocic and linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk have all been ruled out for the Bears game with their injuries.
Okoronkwo, who suffered the injury during Sunday’s 31-27 victory over the Jaguars, will be replaced in the lineup by second-year pro Alex Wright, who has one sack and one fumble recovery this season. He’ll be the third edge rusher in the rotation behind Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith.
Thornhill aggravated his calf injury in pregame warmups vs. the Jaguars and was a last-second surprise scratch. The Browns then lost Grant Delpit to a torn groin muscle during the game, and he was placed on injured reserve this week for at least the final four games of the season.
The Browns will be down to rookie Ronnie Hickman and second-year pro D’Anthony Bell, both undrafted out of college. Nick Harris will replace Pocic, who left the Jaguars game with a stinger. Kunaszyk tweaked something on Thursday.
The following players are questionable: cornerback Denzel Ward (shoulder), Jordan Elliott (concussion) and Anthony Walker Jr. (tweaked something in practice). Kevin Stefanski said they’ll know over the next 48 hours if Ward has to miss his fourth straight game.
As for Thornhill, he was set to play last week despite battling the calf injury early in the week.
“(Thornhill) was warming up, trying to get it going again and just flared up,” safeties coach Ephraim Banda said Friday. “And he’s such an explosive athlete that if your tire is blown, the car is not going to move the way it needs to, especially for him. So that’s all. Just kind of flared up on him again. He’s fighting his butt off to get back and doing a really good job of that.
He said Thornhill has been fighting hard to stay positive for his teammates because he’s such an energy guy.
“I’ve told him, you’re like me,” Banda said. “If you’re down and out, people will feel it. And I told him, you’ve got to be present, you’ve got to be locked in, you’ve got to keep pushing even though you may feel bad. And I feel like he’s done a really good job of that. Despite not playing last week and having the situations he’s had with the calf.”
Banda also had high praise for Delpit, who was in the midst of a career season, and signed a three-year contract extension worth $36 million on Tuesday.
“Definitely tough,” Banda said. “Really contributed in so many different areas and facets, but what I’m really proud of Grant for, and the part that we got to do a good job of the next few weeks, is replacing his leadership and coming out of his shell and really making sure, like Coach (Jim) Schwartz said, that the group feels him, the defense feels him in the huddle, out of the huddle, in the meeting rooms and at practice.
And I thought he did a really good job of that this past year of getting out of his comfort zone and being that guy for our group.”
He said he’s definitely happy for him for earning the contract extension.
“And I’m happy as a coach because he’s going to be here,” Banda said. “Shout out AB (Andrew Berry), all his staff and everyone ownership getting that done. He’s a perfect guy for this room. Culturally, he fits this place, and it was one of our goals to make sure that he went out this year and played as good as possible so that he could earn that as part of his goals and his future. So tough, but we got to move on and find the next guy up.”
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