It’s only Week 2, but the Cleveland Browns need a big win in the worst way heading into a tough matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There’s going to be a very familiar face on the other sideline with quarterback Baker Mayfield gunning to beat the Browns for the first time since they traded him while on the other side, and Deshaun Watson could be playing for his career on Sunday.
Watson continues to make disparaging comments towards the media and if the Browns head back to Cleveland at 0-2 for their home opener, there is no limit to how loudly anti-Watson the home crowd could get. To make his life easier, he’s going to need all the help he can get, though that might be tough since the injuries are already starting to pile up a bit.
The Browns released their full updated injury report on Friday, and the list is longer than you would like to see. Teven Jenkins has already been ruled out, paving the way for Austin Barber to start at right guard again, while veterans Tyson Campbell and Maliek Collins were both limited at practice on Friday and their statuses for Sunday are still up in the air.
Parker Brailsford, Elgton Jenkins, Jerry Jeudy, Zion Johnson, and Dawand Jones were all full participants on Friday and should be all set for the Bucs game. Collins doesn’t have an injury designation for Sunday, but Campbell is officially listed as questionable, though it sounds like he is trending towards playing after what the coaching staff saw from him on Friday.
game status for #CLEvsTB pic.twitter.com/gawLCgJ0TF
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 18, 2026
Week 2 is earlier than you’d expect to see an injury list this long, but the good news is that there’s a real chance that Jenkins is the only one out on Sunday. Barber was also recently named the permanent starter by Monken, so all 22 starters should be set for Sunday’s contest.
It’s a long season and nobody is ever fully healthy while playing such a violent sport, but the Browns will be hoping to ride this relatively clean bill of health to a huge win. Nobody wants to see what happens if this team goes home at 0-2 with Deshaun Watson having to face that raucous Cleveland crowd.
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