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Cleveland Browns preseason standout Ronnie Hickman headed to the locker room early against the Philadelphia Eagles to be looked at for a potential concussion.
Hickman has made a name for himself with his play in the preseason with a trio of interceptions. The rookie safety’s latest came against the Eagles and it appeared to be the play he suffered the injury on. Hickman caught the interception and calmly jogged to the sideline after the play, opting not to celebrate.
Hickman was an undrafted free agent out of Ohio State and was a longshot to make the roster. However, his play has likely earned him a spot on the depth chart.
“One thing I learned is just trying to maximize any opportunity to get on the field,” Hickman said after the Browns’ preseason loss to the Commanders on August 11. “So any time I’m on that field I try to make the most of it.”
The Browns have one preseason game left against the Kansas City Chiefs. If Hickman can get past the concussion, it will be an important game for him as he tries to secure his roster spot.
Browns Also Lose Veteran CB Mike Ford to Injury
The Browns are also down a cornerback after veteran Mike Ford Jr. headed to the locker room against the Philadelphia Eagles with a shoulder injury.
Ford exited in the first quarter, first going to the medical tent and then heading to the locker room. The team has dubbed it a shoulder injury.
The Browns signed Ford this offseason to add some depth to a very talented cornerback unit. Ford has appeared in 61 games with nine starts in his career. He’s played for the Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos and most recently the Atlanta Falcons.
Beyond his contributions on defense, Ford was expected to be a key member of the Browns’ special teams, where he had made an impact so far in his career. He played 83 percent of the special teams snaps last season for the Falcons, per Pro Football Focus.
“I embrace it,” Ford said in May of contributing on special teams. “I’ve been doing that for the past two years. I was in Denver. We needed to revamp that, we revamped it and we had a really good punt unit. I think we broke the franchise record that year. Atlanta, same thing last year, and I think we finished top five. So it’s just, come do my job. That’s all it is. Come do the job, get the job done.”
Browns cornerback Lorenzo Burns also exited with a shoulder injury and was questionable to return. Rookie CB Cameron Mitchell briefly visited the medical tent but return to the field.
Browns Stars Sit Out Against Eagles
The Browns were taking no risks against the Eagles after a pair of joint practices against the defending NFC champs. There were 36 players who did not play against the Eagles on Thursday, including cornerbacks Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson Jr. and Greg Newsome.
Newsome recently returned to practice following a groin injury, although he was limited. Ward and Emerson has been healthy so far in camp. It’s going to be an interesting battle between the Browns’ top three cornerbacks.
Ward is locked into one of the spots but Emerson and Newsome are in a battle to see who will be the primary wide cornerback opposite Ward. Newsome played quite a bit in the slot last season and expressed this offseason that he was not a fan of that.
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