Injuries Are Often a Two-Way Street
The Cleveland Browns have been hit hard by injuries this year, particularly on the defensive side of the ball and there have been multiple games where players have been labeled questionable only to be shut down that week.
As much as this can be a commentary on player toughness and how much pain they may be willing to play through, that can be a dangerous assumption because it ignores the team component in that decision making process.
Greedy Williams might be the best example. A shoulder injury sustained seemingly a month ago that was described day to day. It's possible they believed that and it's possible it was truly a day to day injury.
Maybe Williams has told the team he was simply unwilling to play through the pain of that shoulder injury. More likely, the team has evaluated Williams and engaged in a cost benefit analysis.
For the sake of argument, as this is complete speculation, say Williams was unable to play against the Baltimore Ravens, but say he was at 75 percent against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was willing to gut it out, but the team shut him down.
Much of that decision may have been based on the fact that Terrance Mitchell at 100 percent is better than Williams at 75 percent. He's good enough that it allows Williams to continue his recovery. Say he's 85 or 90 percent now, but the Browns not only feel confident in Mitchell, but aren't planning on simply handing the job back to Williams. They could shut him down against Washington, a mediocre offense in favor of trying to get him to 100 percent to be available against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys have an outstanding set of weapons and one of the more explosive offenses in the NFL and they will need all hands on deck. The Browns could be accused of being arrogant, believing they are good enough to beat Washington without Williams, given the fact they haven't proven enough to make that type of judgment.
If they go out and beat Washington without Williams, it looks prudent. If they lose and Mitchell is a big reason why, it might look overly conservative.
That appears to be exactly what happened in the case of Jack Conklin. He dressed for the game against the Bengals, but didn't play as the team opted to go with Chris Hubbard. This week, Conklin is saying he's 100 percent. The Browns beat the Bengals and Hubbard looked very good, so maybe it was conservative on the part of the Browns, but they won and he will be healthy.
So as much as injuries can be about the player and what they are willing to do and how well they play through pain, it may be a team decision.
Denzel Ward has been listed as questionable after seeming to sustain a groin injury in practice this week. That might be as a result of contact or more likely an injury sustained because of the way he contorts his body with his speed and agility. Maybe it's bad enough that Ward shouldn't play against Washington. It may also fall under the considerations talked about with Williams.
Defensive backs don't really come off the field, short of specific package players. Starting corners are on the field basically the entire game. So when looking at Olivier Vernon, there's less incentive for the Browns to hold him back, unless the risk with his abdominal issue is one where playing on it could exacerbate the situation and result in losing him for a more significant amount of time.
If he's healthy enough to provide a great twenty snaps without risk of further injury, because of how defensive lines are rotated, that's likely more than enough reason to have him active on gameday.
Injuries are frustrating for everyone involved, but there's definitely more to consider than simply seeing a player isn't playing and assuming they are soft or don't love football enough. There are plenty of situations where players are fighting to get on the field, whether it's simply how they are wired or the financial considerations and the team holds them back.
The team can be looking out for the individual and the team's best interest over the course of a long season. There are times where teams have held players out specifically to avoid having them hit bonuses, though that's never been something that has stood out with the Browns.
It's easy to ascribe injuries to being soft or weak or uninterested, but it's important to note that players don't come out with injury reports. They also don't speak for the coaching staff when it comes to expectations or estimated recovery times. There are times when those descriptors might be accurate but it's important to remember it's a two-way street.
