Larry Ogunjobi Leaves Game With Abdominal Injury, Ruled Out
The Cleveland Browns announced that defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi has been ruled out of the game against the Dallas Cowboys with an abdominal injury.
The team had already lost running back Nick Chubb in the game with a knee injury.
Ogunjobi was part of a defensive front that was able to bottle up the Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott on the ground. He had been having a productive month as the starting nose tackle for the team.
Vincent Taylor, acquired at the start of the season from waivers will likely take the bulk of the reps in his absence as well as rookie Jordan Elliott, who is largely utilized as a three-technique, but can play the nose as well.
If there's good news, the Brown were up by three scores when the announcement was made in the fourth quarter. The Browns had scored 41 points and were largely milking the clock to get out of the game as the Cowboys tried to scratch and claw their way back into the game.
If Ogunjobi is forced to miss time after this game, it could be a problem as the Browns are pretty thin up front. The Browns lost Andrew Billings before the season due to opting out, so their projected starter might be Taylor and they'd need additional help.
The Browns are scheduled to play the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers the following two weeks.
Ogunjobi is also scheduled to be a free agent after this season and was hoping to make a convincing argument not simply for an extension with the Browns, but earning a substantial payday coming off of his rookie contract as a third round pick out of Charlotte in the 2017 NFL Draft.
