Getty LB Joe Schobert #53, formerly of the Cleveland Browns, celebrates with teammates after intercepting a Pittsburgh Steelers pass during a game at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 14, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Browns have been ravaged by injury on the defensive side of the ball, but those woes have been greatest among the linebacking corps.
The team will head into a home contest against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, December 17, without two of their three starting linebackers from Week 1. However, an answer to Cleveland’s depth struggles in the middle of the defense may have been answered via a roster move that the Tennessee Titans made on Monday.
Ari Meirov of Pro Football Focus reported the news via Twitter, which involved a familiar name that many Browns fans will recognize.
The #Titans have released veteran LB Joe Schobert.
“The #Titans have released veteran LB Joe Schobert,” Meirov tweeted.
Schobert Linked to Browns Earlier This Season Amid LB Injuries
GettyLB Joe Schobert, formerly of the Cleveland Browns, celebrates with Mack Wilson (left) and T.J. Carrie (right) after his second interception of the game against the Miami Dolphins at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Schobert spent his first four seasons in Cleveland after the Browns selected him in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He was a one-time Pro Bowler with the team during the following year, when he led the league in tackles with 144, per Pro Football Reference.
The linebacker started 49 games during his Browns tenure before landing with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. Schobert played the following year with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers released him in March of 2022, after which Schobert’s name was floated as a potential addition for several LB-needy teams across the NFL. Cleveland was one such hypothetical destination after middle linebacker and team captain Anthony Walker Jr. was lost for the year due to a torn quad in Week 3 during a win over Pittsburgh.
Schobert ultimately landed with the Titans as a mid-season pickup, appearing in six games for the team and earning one start. During his time there, Schobert tallied 16 tackles and forced a fumble before being released on Monday.
Browns’ Depth Chart Growing Increasingly Thin at Linebacker
Getty ImagesDE Myles Garrett (left) and LB Sione Takitaki (right) of the Cleveland Browns celebrate after a defensive play against the Cincinnati Bengals on October 31, 2022.
Walker is not the only prominent Browns linebacker to suffer a serious injury this year. The team also lost starting SAM linebacker Sione Takitaki to a season-ending ACL tear against the Houston Texans two games ago.
Jacob Phillips, who was brought up to fill in for Walker, suffered a pectoral injury in October that ended his 2022 campaign. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is the only starter from Week 1 still on the field, though he also missed three games earlier this season due to injury.
The Browns are unlikely to make a playoff push after falling to the Bengals last weekend, though their postseason hopes are not technically finished. Beyond that, the team has incentive to continue trying to play well and build chemistry around new starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has played in just two games since returning from 700 days on the sideline due to off-field issues.
Schobert can help in that regard by bringing experience and a history of quality performance back to the Browns’ depth chart for the remainder of the season.
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Former Browns Pro Bowler Poised For Return to Cleveland After Release