BEREA, Ohio — As the Cleveland Browns hit the practice fields on Thursday in preparation for their season opener Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, one key player was not in the mix, with star defensive end Myles Garrett absent from the session.
Garrett was not accounted for during the portion of practice open to the media, but the reason was not clear at that time. Garrett, like other veteran players, often gets scheduled rest days where he doesn't practice.
After practice ended, Garrett appeared on the Browns' injury/participation report as a "did not participate in practice" with what the team has called a hip injury.
While it's never good news to see a star player land on the injury report, especially in Week 1, there's not too much concern from the Browns that Garrett's injury is serious or will put him in question for Sunday's game.
Garrett wasn't alone in his absence from practice. Linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold also did not participate in practice. He was working to the side during the open portion of practice and was listed on the injury report with an Achilles injury.
Meanwhile, center Ethan Pocic was a full participant for the first time since injuring his knee in the third preseason game against the Rams. Pocic was limited on Wednesday and was back to full-go Thursday.
Defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. also returned to practice for the first time this year as he's been rehabbing a knee injury that he had surgery to repair last season. While it was limited, it's a milestone for the defensive tackle as he continues working his way back to game action.
On the other side of things, the Bengals' injury report is much thinner than Cleveland's. On Wednesday, no players appeared on the participation/injury report for the Bengals, and on Thursday, it was just defensive tackle B.J. Hill listed, limited on Thursday for rest, not injury related.
The Browns will have one more day of practice on Friday, where they'll hope for less absences on the field in Berea before their season opener at 1 p.m. Sunday inside Huntingtown Bank Field.
