The Cleveland Browns had to face a very scary situation during their 17-12 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday. Wide receiver KC Concepcion took a hard hit from Jets safety Minkah Fitzpatrick while attempting to catch a pass in the first quarter, and he was motionless on the field.
Fortunately, Concepcion was able to walk off the field, but the play was considered dirty by some observers. That did not include Browns head coach Todd Monken, who claimed that Fitzpatrick, a longtime NFL veteran, does not have a reputation as that kind of player.
The day after, Monken stood firm on that sentiment, reiterating that the play simply had an unfortunate result.
“Again, it was a bang-bang play, he made a nice break on the ball, and it’s unfortunate of what happened. But that’s gonna happen in games, and I’ve gone against Minkah a bunch, and I’ve always had a ton of respect for him. I’ve never understood him to be a player that’s trying to injure other players,” Monken said.
Browns coach Todd Monken reiterates he’s never known Jets S Minkah Fitzpatrick to be a guy who tries to injure players.
His hit knocked KC Concepcion out of game. pic.twitter.com/ozB3VH4rnJ— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) October 12, 2026
Facing a third-and-5 from the Jets’ 25-yard line, quarterback Deshaun Watson attempted to connect with Concepcion on a sideline pattern. Fitzpatrick raced to break up the pass and did wind up being penalized for unnecessary roughness.
Monken said it was not up to him to determine whether Fitzpatrick should have been ejected or not. A half-the-distance markoff put the ball on the 12-yard line, but, perhaps shaken by the absence of Concepcion, the Browns had to settle for a short field goal that got them within 7-3.
A first-round pick from the 2026 NFL Draft, Concepcion entered the game leading the Browns with 28 targets, and he had one catch for five yards before getting injured. He has 18 receptions for 149 yards without a touchdown catch this season.
Without him, Isaiah Bond had a career-high three receptions for 74 yards. But he also had a crucial drop on a second-and-19 target with 2:21 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Browns trying to drive for a winning score. Despite that, Watson spoke highly of Bond in his postgame remarks.
Fortunately, Concepcion’s injury did not turn out to be as serious as it first appeared, but while he works his way through the league’s concussion protocol, his status for the Week 6 game against the Baltimore Ravens, or beyond that, is uncertain.
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