Malik McDowell leaves scrimmage early, walks off with trainers

Orange and Brown Scrimmage gave some things for fans to be excited about but lost McDowell to an oblique injury during the practice.

The Cleveland Browns had their Orange and Brown Scrimmage today with a chance for a lot of fans to see them on First Energy Field. Injuries will continue to be a daily story, whether there are any or not.

One interesting player on the team’s roster is defensive lineman Malik McDowell. McDowell is an interesting story after being drafted in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft but having never seen a snap in the NFL.

Due to off-the-field issues and medical concerns, McDowell’s career seemed to have hit its end when the Seattle Seahawks released him prior to the 2019 season.

The Browns brought him in this offseason in somewhat of a shocking move. Reports are that things had turned around and that the Browns had done extensive background work before bringing him in.

Early in today’s scrimmage, McDowell left with the trainers:

 

Following practice, head coach Kevin Stefanski noted that McDowell left the game with an oblique injury:

 

With Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi gone this offseason, the interior of the defensive line has a lot of snaps available. Malik Jackson was brought in via free agency, Andrew Billings returns from the COVID opt-out list and Jordan Elliott comes into his second season after a disappointing opening campaign.

Tommy Togiai was drafted and Marvin Wilson was a highly sought after undrafted free agent to add two rookies to the competition along with veterans Damon Square and Sheldon Day also fighting for roster spots.

Depending on how long the injury impacts McDowell, he could be too far behind when he returns. Given his multiple years out of the game, the former second-rounder needs all the snaps he can get.

We will keep you up to date on all injury updates here on Browns Wire.