Tytus

Howard

It’s good progress after he had a Wednesday DNP. Howard should have a real chance at playing on Sunday as long as his Friday status stays neutral or trends positively.

The Browns acquired Howard from Houston in the offseason. Howard left Week 5 with the knee issue and a DNP today suggests he will miss at least one week. Dawand Jones took his spot in the lineup on Sunday and would presumably draw the start at right tackle if Howard is out.

This is the first big move the Browns have made to address their offensive line. The acquisition of Howard gives them an experienced right tackle who has started all 16 games he has appeared in for each of the last two seasons, and he has allowed just five sacks on 1,175 pass blocking snaps per TruMedia. Shortly after trading for Howard, the Browns announced they would be signing him to a three-year, $63 million extension, keeping him with the team through the 2029 season.

After missing each of the last two games with a knee injury, Ingram looks likely to go on Thursday night. Ingram has posted back-to-back full practices this week. Tytus Howard (ankle/knee) and Trent Brown (hand/knee) were both limited participants on Monday and Tuesday and also look to be trending towards playing.

Ingram, one of Nick Caserio’s better OL scrapheap finds this year, missed last week’s game with the injury but had limited practices on Thursday and Friday after a full on Wednesday. Juice Scruggs wound up seeing most of the time at right guard after an ugly debut series from Sidy Sow. Tytus Howard (concussion) cleared protocol and will start.

Neither will Ed Ingram (knee), making way for Juice Scruggs and Blake Fisher to join the starting lineup. Davis Mills’ supporting cast isn’t going to be doing the quarterback any favors in Week 10.

He was concussed shortly before halftime and wasn’t in on Houston’s final two drives. Howard, Houston’s best remaining offensive lineman, leaves a big void for second-rounder Blake Fisher to fill. Ed Ingram (ankle) is also questionable to return, with Juice Scruggs stepping into his role at right guard.

Howard being a late addition to the injury report is concerning for his Week 5 availability, but if he’s able to get on the field Friday, he should be good to go. In the event he can’t start, second-year tackle Nick Broeker is listed behind him on the depth chart and would presumably get the nod against the Bills.

A knee injury suffered in late November ended Howard’s 2023 season, as the veteran tackle required surgery to correct the issue. While we don’t know the specifics of the injury, we do know that Howard was sidelined for the majority of OTAs and minicamp while recovering. Now appearing healthy to kick off the first day of training camp, it looks as if Howard is nearing a full return in the coming days.

Howard went down with an apparently serious knee injury in Week 12 against the Jaguars. He’ll require season-ending surgery. It’s a massive blow for a Houston offensive line graded by Pro Football Focus as the league’s 14th best pass blocking unit.