ack Conklin has endured a string of ailments, but the Cleveland Browns veteran right tackle is ready to return.
Conklin resorted to social media with a rare remark that revealed details about his circumstances. He also looked to his colleague, Nick Chubb, who is also recovering from a season-ending knee injury.
“Nothing is easy after an injury, especially multiple,” Conklin wrote. “I couldn’t have made it through without my wife [Caitlyn Conklin], who is my rock. I spoke with [Nick Chubb], and there may be one dark knight, but the first guy to emerge from the pit was Bane! #Imback.”
Conklin suffered a torn ACL and MCL in Week 1 last season, ruling him out for the season. He was limited to only seven games in 2021 after rupturing his right patellar tendon.
Conklin signed a four-year contract extension with the Browns at the end of the 2022 season, which keeps him in Cleveland until 2026. He will be 32 when the deal expires.
The Browns have a decision to make with Jack Conklin.
The Browns have three starters at tackle. Former first-round pick Jedrick Wills, second-year big man Dawand Jones, and Conklin will fight for starting positions. All three suffered season-ending injuries last season.
Wills is pretty much locked in at left tackle as he enters his contract year. The Browns have praised Wills’ development, despite his inconsistent play.
“When you go back and study a lot of the footage, you can see that he’s doing a good job in both the run and pass game. “He’s winning his one-on-one matches,” Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters in March, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “Never perfect because it’s difficult to be perfect as a left tackle in this game.” But he played well. I believe if he stays healthy, the trajectory will continue to improve.”
Jones took over for Conklin following his injury and made a strong case to be the permanent starter. Conklin may lose his starting job to Jones when the season starts.
“I think Jed Wills Jr. will start the season at left tackle, and Dawand Jones will start on the right side in part because I think Jack Conklin will need a little more time to recover from his torn ACL and MCL,” Cabot told reporters on June 22, 2017. “Once Conklin is fully healthy, I think the Browns might keep Wills and Jones in their starting spots as long as they’re playing well so as not to disrupt the timing and chemistry of the line.”
Conklin has $10 million against the cap this year, but roughly $20 million over the next two seasons. If the Browns believe they have a surefire alternative in Jones, Conklin might be traded.
Browns RB Nick Chubb is ahead of schedule in recovery.
As Conklin mentioned, Chubb is also recovering from knee surgery. He suffered an injury in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Chubb has been working hard to return to the field, but a timetable is yet undetermined. However, a recent video of Chubb practicing gives some indication that he could be ready to start early this year.
“I even had to ask him, ‘Which knee was it again?'” Chubb’s trainer, Brad Lester, told Cleveland.com. “He said, ‘The left one.’ I said, ‘That’s so good I can’t tell.’ He’s much ahead of plan, in my opinion.”
This offseason, Chubb and the Browns reached an agreement to restructure his deal. The move reduced Chubb’s base income from nearly $12 million to $2.275 million, with much of it converted into incentives.
