The UnderDawgs: 10 Browns players who ascended amid injuries on run to NFL playoffs

BEREA — What the Browns have achieved by overcoming a bevy of key injuries en route to the NFL playoffs has captured the attention of not only Cleveland sports fans and media but also people throughout the league.

For example, Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel spent roughly 2½ minutes answering a question during his Dec. 29 news conference about the resilience of the Browns.

“A lot people were worried about what they didn’t have, except them,” McDaniel, a former Browns wide receivers coach, said in part. “When your focus is on the opponent and not what you don’t have, really cool things can happen. And because they were put behind the eight ball with injuries, now the accomplishments are that much more satisfying.”

When the Browns (11-6) visit the AFC South champion Houston Texans (10-7) for a wild-card playoff game at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, they will continue to count on the old “next man up” adage.

Quarterback Joe Flacco is the face of the mantra in Cleveland because he has excelled since joining the Browns on Nov. 20 after starter Deshaun Watson suffered a broken throwing shoulder Nov. 12 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Watson was the starting quarterback for five of the Browns' 11 wins, Flacco for four, rookie fifth-round draft pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson for one and P.J. Walker for one.

But the truth is there are many non-QBs who have admirably ascended the depth chart to help make the franchise's third playoff berth of the expansion era a reality.

This is a collection of stories about 10 of them.

1. Cleveland Browns left tackle Geron Christian Sr.

On the eve of Halloween, Geron Christian Sr. wore a work vest and jeans and carried a hammer while gathering with friends and relatives for a party at a warehouse his family owns in Ocala, Florida. He laughed about the notion of his costume — a construction worker — being apropos when his agent called to inform him the Browns would sign him to toil in the trenches.

Christian had worked out for the Browns early this season. The team didn't immediately sign Christian, but it circled back to him for depth after backup tackle Ty Nsekhe suffered a season-ending biceps injury Oct. 29 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Christian started the final nine regular-season games for the Browns in place of left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., who suffered a season-ending knee injury Nov. 5 against the Arizona Cardinals

Christian said his familiarity with Browns offensive line coach Bill Callahan has been helpful. They worked together in Washington for two seasons after Christian became a 2018 third-round selection.

Christian has another notable NFL connection worth mentioning, especially this week. He started one game for the Texans this season on Oct. 1. They released him from their practice squad on Oct. 10, leaving him in limbo until the Browns called.

2. Cleveland Browns right tackle James Hudson III

A fourth-round choice of the Browns in 2021, Hudson started four games as a rookie and three last season. He is convinced those experiences, which include some highly publicized sacks surrendered against Pittsburgh Steelers star edge rusher T.J. Watt, aided him while starting seven games at right tackle this season.

Two-time All-Pro selection Jack Conklin and rookie fourth-round pick Dawand Jones were the first two starting right tackles, but they suffered season-ending knee injuries in the season opener and during an early December practice, respectively.

Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said Christian and Hudson have “saved our bacon” by stepping up at tackle.

The Browns have playoff-caliber depth. Whether they have championship-caliber depth will hinge largely on how Christian and Hudson fare.

“They’re playing their butts off on the edge,” Van Pelt said.

3. Cleveland Browns center Nick Harris

A stinger early in the first quarter knocked starting center Ethan Pocic out of a Dec. 10 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and kept him sidelined a week later against the Chicago Bears. The Browns won both games as Harris manned the center spot, where he had been slated to start on a full-time basis in 2022 until a preseason knee injury interfered.

Harris said he still aspires to start at center in the NFL and believes he is capable, though he has remained engaged with coach Kevin Stefanski's offense while moonlighting as a fullback this season.

“Being able to contribute definitely helped,” said Harris, a 2020 fifth-round pick of the Browns.

4. Cleveland Browns guard Michael Dunn

Michael Dunn played next to Harris for most of the Dec. 17 Bears game because back spasms shut down six-time Pro Bowl left guard Joel Bitonio. Dunn also started an Oct. 15 win over the San Francisco 49ers while Bitonio recovered from arthroscopic knee surgery.

“He's always ready and performs well, and we've got a lot of respect for that guy,” Harris said of Dunn, who has bounced between Cleveland's practice squad and active roster since 2020.

5. Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt

The Browns had long planned for Jerome Ford to have a prominent role as the backup to four-time Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb. Ford rose to lead status after Chubb suffered a season-ending knee injury on Sept. 18 in Pittsburgh, and General Manager Andrew Berry summoned Kareem Hunt for a reunion.

Like Flacco, Hunt was not employed by an NFL team when this season began. The main difference is Hunt had spent the previous four seasons with the Browns.

Now Hunt and Ford are tied for the team lead with nine touchdowns apiece. Hunt's TDs are all rushing, giving the Willoughby South High School graduate a career best in the category. Ford has four rushing touchdowns and five receiving TDs.

“Not a great circumstance [for Hunt when the season began],” Van Pelt said. “Didn’t want to not be on a team, I’m sure, but once we got him here, man, he’s been all on board, and he’s been a great teammate as well.”

6. Cleveland Browns safety D'Anthony Bell

At age 27, D'Anthony Bell realizes he's older than most second-year NFL players. But Bell's path to the league as an undrafted rookie who signed with the Browns in 2022 qualifies, much like Flacco's comeback, as movie-script material.

Bell was a member of four college football programs: Albany State (redshirted 2015), Iowa Central Community College (2016), Butler Community College (2018) and West Florida (2019; 2020 season canceled due to COVID-19; 2021). He took the 2017 season off because he lacked a scholarship and enough money for tuition. During Bell's hiatus from football, he worked construction in Georgia for six or seven months with his father, Anthony.

“It made me never want to go back [to construction],” Bell said. “I see why I work so hard to get to where I am. You don't want to wake up every day in 100-degree weather, doing concrete and moving rocks. So it made me humble, for sure.”

With safeties Grant Delpit (groin Dec. 10), Juan Thornhill (calf Nov. 12 and recurring later) and Rodney McLeod (season-ending biceps injury Nov. 19) idle, Bell seized his opportunity. He started the last four regular-season games, and he's tied for second on the team with two interceptions.

7. Cleveland Browns safety Ronnie Hickman

An undrafted rookie from Ohio State, Ronnie Hickman found himself in a similar situation to Bell when the safeties ahead of them were injured.

“We played a lot together in the preseason and kind of went through the first half of the season not really getting on the field,” Hickman said. “So when we're out there on the field together, it's dope just because of where we came from and the battles we had to fight to get to where we're at.”

Hickman started four of the past five games. He returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown in a Dec. 28 playoff-clinching win over the New York Jets.

Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz called the play “a dagger” and said Hickman “became the glue of our secondary and communicated as good, if not better, than any rookie safety I've been around.”

8. Cleveland Browns defensive end Alex Wright

After No. 3 defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo suffered an injured pectoral muscle in Week 14 against the Jaguars, Alex Wright's snaps substantially increased.

A double dose of good news for the Browns: Okoronkwo returned to game action in the regular-season finale last weekend, and Wright has registered a sack in four consecutive games.

“I took on more responsibility,” Wright, a 2022 third-round pick, said. “I had more added to my plate.

“I just needed the opportunity. So once that was given to me, I just showcased what I could do.”

9. Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Shelby Harris

Like Wright, veteran defensive tackle Shelby Harris experienced a boost in playing time late in the regular season. A season-ending injury to Maurice Hurst II (pectoral Dec. 10) facilitated it.

A free-agent acquisition in August, Harris blocked a 31-yard field goal with 9:27 left in the third quarter against the Jets.

David Njoku has breakout Browns season: Tight end's first Pro Bowl coincides with his transition to a team-first mentality

10. Cleveland Browns cornerback Cameron Mitchell

With Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward in a part-time role during his first game back from a three-week absence caused by a shoulder injury, rookie fifth-round choice Cameron Mitchell remained in the rotation and provided a turning point Dec. 17 in a come-from-behind win over the Chicago Bears.

On the first snap of the fourth quarter, Mitchell tripped up Bears quarterback Justin Fields to force a turnover on downs at the Cleveland 33-yard line. The Browns rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to earn the second of their four consecutive December victories, the last of which secured the AFC's fifth playoff seed in the penultimate regular-season game versus the Jets.

Other notable injury replacements: Cornerback Mike Ford Jr., linebacker Tony Fields II, safety Duron Harmon and kicker Riley Patterson.

Browns vs. Texans in wild-card round: Ogbo Okoronkwo is excited for Houston homecoming

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 10 players who helped playoff-bound Browns overcome injuries