BEREA, Ohio — When the Browns announced their list of players headed to injured reserve on Wednesday, there was one surprise name.
Along with linebacker Mohamoud Diabate (hip), linebacker Tony Fields II (ankle), and defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II (ankle), whose injuries had all been disclosed on Monday, safety Juan Thornhill (calf) was also placed on IR.
Thornhill didn’t exit Sunday’s 33-17 loss against the Cowboys, playing through the injury that will now keep him out four games at minimum.
“It started to bother him late in the game,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “I don’t have the exact play. He’s very disappointed. I thought he played really well in that game, but he’ll be just fine.”
Thornhill played 60 defensive snaps in the loss, second on the team behind Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah’s 63. The safety was also the team’s second-highest graded defender, according to Pro Football Focus, with an 82.2 rating.
He had nine tackles, and PFF did not credit him with allowing the 21-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott to Brandin Cooks, a play where there appeared to be some miscommunication between Thornhill and cornerback Martin Emerson Jr.
“I told Juan after the game, he played an incredible game,” safety Rodney McLeod said. “I think he was stout in every area, did his job and did it at a high level. So it’s definitely a loss for us. But here, unfortunately we experienced that last year.
“So it’s the next-man-up mentality. I know he’s going to work extremely hard like he’s done in the offseason to ensure that he’s available for the remaining games because we’re going to need him.”
This is the same calf Thornhill injured in 2023, Stefanski said.
Thornhill missed five games over Cleveland’s final eight last year due to reaggravating a grade-two calf strain. He also missed Cleveland’s opener against the Bengals with a different calf injury, so six games total.
It was an injury that made 2023 one of his most-challenging seasons mentally and physically, he told cleveland.com in July.
That nagging injury is also why he totally revamped his offseason training, putting on 6 extra pounds of muscle and lifting heavier in hopes that would help him to avoid another soft tissue injury.
But even that process hadn’t been seamless as the Browns went into the opener.
“He played through it and even coming up to the game, I know he had been feeling bothersome,” safety Grant Delpit said. “It wasn’t out of nowhere and he was always treating it right and doing what he could do. It happens.”
Cleveland Browns safety Juan Thornhill will have to miss at least the next four games with a calf injury while he’s on injured reserve.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
With Thornhill out, the Browns will turn to some familiar young names for more reps.
Last year, as Thornhill struggled with his calf and Delpit and McLeod both suffered season-ending injuries (a groin tear and bicep tear, respectively), the Browns relied heavily on undrafted rookie Ronnie Hickman and undrafted second-year safety D’Anthony Bell.
Hickman started four of the Browns’ final five regular season games last year. Bell started their final four, as well as their 45-14 wild card loss to the Houston Texans.
Both are back this year. Hickman played 11 defensive snaps on Sunday and 14 special teams snaps. Bell played 31 special teams snaps.
“They got some good critical playing time last year,” Delpit said. “I don’t look at those guys as young guys at all, but I still want to put them in advantageous situations knowing that I could be put anywhere. So I’ll make sure they’re comfortable.”
Bell, who missed all of training camp after undergoing offseason surgery for a stress fracture in his shin, said he’s feeling in shape and prepared to do whatever the Browns need of him.
“We did it last year, so it’s just like, hey, step in the same shoes that we stepped in last year, fulfill the role until we get our guys back and get our reinforcement,” Bell said. “That’s what we are here for, to do our job. One man goes down, we got to carry that role. We’re all held to the same standard, so got to keep that standard.”
It’s an attitude the room has (unfortunately) had to master over the last 12 months.
And it’s been a process of younger players learning to fill the void with injuries, but not trying to do too much when given more opportunity.
“We talk about it all the time, just doing your 1/11,” McLeod said. “And I think we’re not asking anybody to be Juan Thornhill. We’re asking them to be themselves, and that’s good enough. And we’ve seen proof of that over the course of this past year.
“Both of those guys (Bell and Hickman) getting a lot of experience, making a lot of plays, and they were just who they were. They were the version of themselves. And as long as you show up the best version of yourself, you have an opportunity to win.”
