The calf strain that kept Cleveland Browns starter Wyatt Teller on the sideline for more than three games was no joke. But the good-humored guard still managed to make some light of what he went through on the verge of making his return to the lineup.
“It was only a Grade 2 calf strain, which means the ligament came off the bone a little bit but not fully, which is good,” Teller told reporters. “I was moving around. I was in a boot and moving with the boot, and I still feel like I am walking with a pimp walk or something. I do not know. It is kind of funny. That boot is like five pounds of walking around with the heavy old boot on. I am just trying to get back to normal and run fast and hit hard.”
Browns Run Game Gets Boost With Wyatt Teller Back
Teller was a key cog in the Browns run-game, which was the best in the league at the time of his departure. He’s glad to be back in action.
“It feels good. It has been a process the past four weeks. I wanted to make it back, but I do not want the same injury to be nagging all year,” Teller said Wednesday. “You definitely want to take advantage of the bye week, take advantage of the couple weeks that I had off and come back with a vengeance to get this game back on track.”
Teller turned out to be a major steal for former Browns GM John Dorsey, who traded just a fifth- and a sixth-round pick to Buffalo in the move. He started nine games last season and all five he was active for this year. In those games, Teller — who was projected to be a weak-link on the line — recorded a Pro Football Focus grade of 94.4, the highest in the NFL at his position.
Wyatt Teller Says Nick Chubb is ‘Super-Human’
The Browns are hoping to not just have Teller back this weekend against the Texans, but also Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb, who was a candidate to lead the league in rushing before getting injured.
“Nick is damn near superhuman (laughter). He is a good player. I am excited to come back with him. I am thankful.
Teller’s teammates had high-praise for him as well and the grit he brings to the lineup.
“[Teller] brings the juice, the physicality and the nastiness. That guy is a lot of fun on game days because he’s just burying people,” tight end Austin Hooper said. “It is definitely fun when you have a guy like that on the field just burying people and having fun with it, laughing and joking around. He definitely has that infectious personality that I think resonates with not just the offensive side of the ball but the entire team. Definitely good to have a guy like that back.”
The Browns are a 3-point favorite (per Odds Shark) at home against the Texans this weekend, in large part because of the players they get back following a bye.
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Browns Guard Wyatt Teller Developed ‘Pimp Walk’ Following Injury