BEREA, Ohio — When Cleveland Browns defensive end Alex Wright went down during the joint practice session with the Buffalo Bills, he knew something was wrong right away. Wright was working on 1-on-1 drills with the Bills offensive line when the injury occurred.
See Wright's reaction below:
"I thought I dislocated my foot or I broke my foot," Wright said. "It felt like somebody tripped me from behind. The first thing I did was look back, and I got pissed. I was like, "Who the hell is behind me?" I'm like, "Why the **** is you behind me?" I'm looking, I'm like, 'Nobody's right there.' But I didn't feel it at first. And then I got up and then it just felt like my foot was hanging, like I was pressing the gas pedal. And something didn't feel right. I thought I broke my foot, dislocated my foot."
Wright fell to the ground, and trainers rushed over to him. He tried to walk on it but couldn't put weight on his left foot and was helped to the sideline. After receiving additiional evaluation and trying and failing to walk on it again, Wright had to be carted off the field and into the building.
"I was like, 'I'm going to be out probably a few weeks, whatever.' So that's what I'm automatically thinking. But I knew something was wrong because it felt like I couldn't lift my foot up," Wright said. "Usually I'm tough enough to walk under my own power, but I couldn't. They asked to get the cart, and I just remember I couldn't. I just shook my head and I said, 'Just get the cart.' Got the cart, came inside. I was asking questions and stuff like that. And it just felt off. Something felt off and I was like, 'God, please don't let it be my Achilles.' But I got told the news, and I just sat there, and I just rolled with it."
Wright suffered a torn Achilles. It's the news no athlete wants to hear because it not only means the end of a season, but also surgery and months of rehab and recovery. An Achilles injury requires hard work and ushers in plenty of adversity, and it's already been a challenge for Wright. The hardest part to handle has perhaps been the understanding that his 2026 season came to an end before it began.
"Some days I do get emotional a little bit because I had big plans this year. But just looking back at the video and just talking to the training staff and just talking to Jacques [Cesaire], there was just nothing I could do," Wright said. "I just chalk it up to just God didn't want my breakout season to happen this year. That's pretty much what I chalked it up to, because I had doubts just about getting to that higher level. I knew I was going to get to the higher level, but just from the anxiety standpoint, because it was just a new role that I stepped into. But now it's like I'm doing a whole lot of soul searching and reflection and stuff like that."
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Wright has had to navigate the mental challenges of the injury in addition to navigating the physical challenges. He's in a medical boot and is still two weeks removed from being able to put any weight on his left foot. He uses a mobility scooter to get around, but even simple tasks have become a bit daunting.
Still, no matter how much effort it might take to be mobile during his injury, Wright has made it his mission to be around.
"I made peace with it. I just try to attack the day, but just try to stay positive. At the end of the day, I already know when they go out there on Sunday, I'm going to feel some type of way because I'm not out there. But I feel like I know they'll have me out there; I'm still going to be watching. I'm still going to be talking with Jacques and stuff like that. With Jacques, I tell him I still stay around the walk-through, even with the scooter. So just seeing everybody, 'A-Wright, A-Wright!' that's a good confidence booster. It's good for my mental side too," Wright said.
Wright was set to have a major role on the field this season after the Browns traded Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams. While he won't be able to have his "breakout" year on the field, he's still working himself into a major role off the field.
"I'm just going to be, when the time comes, I'm just going to push them when I'm able to get off the scooter and practice; that's the plan for me. But I'm still going to push. I'm still going to push everybody else. I'm still going to push them when it comes to Sunday, just stay on top of everybody like I've just been doing. So that's just still my job. My job hasn't changed. I'm just not out there physically," Wright said.
His leadership and willingness to be around the team is something that is appreciated by his teammates and, maybe even more so, his coaches.
“Why you got to hit my heart with that one? Going to get me emotional up here. A-Wright is heart, mind, fist to a T. The guy connects with the players and the coaches. He does everything. He strains for the man next to him. He prepares. He is the ambassador of violence. He’s everything you want from a Cleveland Browns defensive player, and we’re still getting it from him," defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg said. "He’s begging me to come to meetings, telling me he wants to be on the field. You want that in your family. I could go on for an hour, you guys know, you want that on your football [team]. It’s been awesome, and anything we get from A-Wright is a plus, because of the man he is."
Wright is keeping his head down, working, and his spirits up. He's found the silver lining in a tough time. While he grows as a leader for the team, he's studying the playbook and making sure the mental part of his game is as sharp as possible while he awaits physical work. He's even enrolled back in classes as he looks to complete his degree in communications. The injury may have caused him time away from the field, but it's certainly not time off for the hard-working defensive end. He's staying ready for when he can get back on the field and keeping a positive mindset along the way.
Because, as Wright says, this injury is not the end of the world.
"B-Lynch, Coach (Brandon) Lynch, he told me today that some days it's going to be bad days where he was like, 'I see you and I don't see that spark right now. Where you at?' Just trying to keep me on my toes. When you have those people around you, it's just going to be even better for when you come back because you're going to remember that. Even with the triceps injury, I still got the brace. I still remember that. I still, just like with this, I'm still going to remember this. So it's just another 'Why' of just pushing yourself every day. Like I say, it's not the end of the world. It feels like the end of the world, but at the end of the day it's reality because somebody always has a worse deck of cards than you do," Wright said.
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