The Cleveland Browns open up the 2026 NFL season on Sunday when they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium.
Life on the road against the Jaguars has generally been good to the Browns over the past 20-plus years, as Cleveland has won five of their last seven road games against Jacksonville, including two in a row.
Throw in that Cleveland starting quarterback Deshaun Watson is a perfect 7-0 in his career against the Jaguars, and the Browns could be in for a good day on Sunday.
Everyone
will have to wait a few days to find out how the game goes, of course, but one thing that is known now is that the Browns have opened the practice week in good health.
The club released its first injury report of the new season on Wednesday, and overall it looks promising:
- Listed as limited were center Parker Brailsford, who is still working his way back from a thumb injury, defensive tackle Maliek Collins, with the quad injury that kept him out of training camp and the preseason until recently, and offensive guard Teven Jenkins, who is dealing with a back injury.
- Listed as a full participant is linebacker Carson Schwesinger (shoulder), which is great news for the defense.
When asked about the health of the team on Wednesday, head coach Todd Monken was feeling good about the situation:
“I feel like we’re in a good place. Outside of losing (defensive end) Alex (Wright) a few weeks ago (to a season-ending ruptured Achilles), we’ve been relatively healthy. Some nicks and bruises here and there, but we feel good about where we’re at.”
Unlike in previous seasons, the Browns have not been dealing with an onslaught of soft-tissue injuries, which Monken credits to the work of the training staff:
“I think our training staff does an outstanding job in terms of getting our players ready. Our assistant coaches have done a great job with the rotations we’ve had during practice. I’d also say it’s been a relatively cool training camp. Last week, luckily, we got a little bit of weather, a little bit of heat, but I think it’s a combination. The guys have done a great job taking care of their bodies, and people within the building have done a great job.”
Speaking of heat, the high in Jacksonville for Sunday’s game is forecast to be 91 degrees, with a 39 percent chance of thunderstorms, so hopefully everyone plans accordingly.
