Browns Announce CB Kevin Johnson Suffered Lacerated Liver

The Cleveland Browns released a statement announcing that corner Kevin Johnson was admitted to University Hospitals after he suffered an abdominal injury after colliding with another player. Testing revealed he had a lacerated liver and will be at the hospital another 24 hours at least for further observations.

Injury Update: CB Kevin Johnson was admitted to University Hospitals yesterday afternoon after sustaining an abdominal injury when another player landed on him during yesterday’s practice. pic.twitter.com/NTBT7iJcBH
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 20, 2020

Johnson was signed as a free agent this year on a one-year deal for $3.5 million that could reach $6 million with incentives. He's expected to play the slot, but he's more than capable of playing the boundary as well.

In the padded practices the Browns have held thus far, Johnson has looked the part of an excellent cover corner, consistently making plays on the football. It has looked like a terrific match for Johnson and the defensive scheme Joe Woods is employing with the Browns.

No timeline has been released for Johnson in terms of recovery for the laceration. There are varying grades in regards to the severity of the injury. One to three are allowed to heal on their own while four or five could require emergency surgery. The Browns makes no mention of surgery, so it would appear that it wasn't required.

The issue with this type of injury is the risk for bleeding internally. Even a lower grade laceration could still require Johnson to be put on bed rest with consistent checking of symptoms. Depending on the length of time required, that could have Johnson need to essentially get himself back in shape.

The recovery may not necessarily need to be total before Johnson might be able to return to practice, but they can't put him in a position where additional hits might reopen or even exacerbate the wound.