Browns Coach Mike Pettine said Wednesday morning that Johnny Manziel will be his team’s starting quarterback Thursday night in Cincinnati because Josh McCown isn’t healthy enough to play.
That was no surprise. Neither is the status of the rest of the team’s injured players.
The official injury and participation report the Browns released Wednesday afternoon before flying to Cincinnati listed six players as out. Starting cornerback Joe Haden and starting safety Donte Whitner will be out due to concussions, as will veteran wide receivers Brian Hartline and Andrew Hawkins.
Backup safety Jordan Poyer is out for a second straight game due to a shoulder injury. That makes the status of starting free safety Tashaun Gipson -- he’s questionable with an ankle injury -- even more important.
Gipson returned to action last week after a three-game absence but was limited through this short practice week. As of now, Gipson and rookie Ibraheim Campbell are slated to start at safety.
Also listed as questionable are linebackers Nate Orchard (shoulder) and Craig Robertson (ankle).
The Bengals listed starting right tackle Andre Smith as out due to a concussion. Veteran Eric Winston replaced Smith last week, but rookie Jake Fisher could also play.
Carlos Dunlap and Rey Maualuga are listed as questionable.
