The Browns lost yet another game with another embarrassing scoreline of 26-8, where the 49ers scored 19 straight points in the second half after Cleveland had taken an 8-7 lead late in the second quarter. Even as the night ended with a damper, that was not the only thing they lost that night; one of their peak defensive players, Maliek Collins, left the field on a stretcher. Kevin Stefanski has an update, and it’s not good. 

Coach Kevin Stefanski gave an update on Collins' condition in a Zoom call, saying that the defensive tackle will not play in the game against the Titans and any after that because of the injury he picked up in the game against the 49ers. The Browns' DT will have to undergo a season-ending surgery. 

He went down in the third quarter on a second-and-15 play after an incomplete pass. The injury happened without any contact, and it was later determined to be a serious quadriceps injury that ended his season. He had to be carted off the field and was ruled out for the rest of the game immediately. 

"When you lose a guy like Maliek, you don't replace him," Stefanski said. "Everybody's just got to step up. It's multiple guys that have to step up. He's made a big impact on this football team on the field and off the field." 

The loss is not going to sting the Browns because of the performance put forward, but also because Collins has also been a valuable mentor to many of the team's young defensive linemen, including No. 5 overall pick Mason Graham. “It sucks seeing him go down and just hurt seeing that look on his face, just disappointed knowing that he had so much left for the year and giving more to this team. So we're behind him 100%, we're going to support him however we can,” Myles Garret said about Collins. 

Collins was having a great season, having hit a new career-high for sacks in a season with 6.5 in Week 12 against the Raiders. He had 15 solo tackles, 10 assists, 6.5 sacks, and 1 fumble recovery in 12 games this season and was on his way towards career-highs in quarterback hits and tackles for loss.

With him out, second-year pro Mike Hall Jr. is one of those players, while veteran Shelby Harris also could slide into the starting role, as predicted by the Beacon Journal. 

What’s also bad for the Browns is that this is not the only player they have lost in the 49ers game. 

Kevin Stefanski gave an update on more Browns players 

Collins is not the only one the Browns have lost after the 49ers game. Wyatt Teller started the game but was rotated at right guard with Teven Jenkins because the coaches wanted to give Jenkins some snaps.

Later on, Teller came up limping and left the field with a calf injury. As of the latest update by Kevin Stefanski, he will be "week to week," meaning out of the Titans game next week. 

Right tackle Jack Conklin exited the game with his second concussion of the year and is still in the concussion protocol. If he’s not able to play, KT Leveston is expected to step in for him.

Running back Dylan Sampson is also dealing with a calf injury and will be evaluated day-to-day, according to Stefanski. Titans are a weak team, but with so many injuries, can the Browns defeat them?

Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu