BEREA, Ohio (AP)—The Cleveland Browns began their practice week missing
two running backs, two safeties, a wide receiver and a cornerback.

Coach Pat Shurmur, whose first season with Cleveland has been made more
challenging by injuries, said Wednesday that starting safety T.J. Ward(notes) has a
cast on his injured right foot. Shurmur did not provide specifics about Ward’s
injury, and has not yet ruled him out of Sunday’s game against St. Louis.

Ward underwent an MRI on Monday, one day after he was injured in the fourth
quarter at Houston. He finished with five tackles.

“He’s in a cast and he’s getting it settled down,” Shurmur said of Ward,
who also dislocated a finger in Sunday’s loss. “We’ll just see (about Sunday).
As we move forward, I’ll give more details.”

It would be hard to imagine Ward playing if he’s still in a cast and unable
to practice.

Also, the Browns’ medical staff sent home wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi(notes)
again as he continues to struggle with post-concussion symptoms after sustaining
his second head injury in 13 months on Oct. 23. Massaquoi missed one game,
returned to practice last week and played briefly against the Texans before
leaving when he got “woozy.”

“He didn’t have any specific episode in the game to make him what we
consider worse,” Shurmur said.

Massaquoi also sustained a concussion last year when he was hit by Steelers
linebacker James Harrison(notes), who was fined $50,000 for the helmet-to-helmet blow.

The Browns began preparing for the Rams without safety Usama Young(notes) (hip) and
cornerback Dimitri Patterson(notes) (knee). Right tackle Tony Pashos(notes) was limited in
practice with an ankle injury that has nagged him all season.

Running backs Peyton Hillis(notes) (hamstring) and Montario Hardesty(notes) (calf) will
both miss this week’s game. Hillis has missed Cleveland’s past three games with
a strained left hamstring he initially hurt on Oct. 16 and reinjured last week
in practice. Shurmur said earlier this week that the team is trying to get
Hillis healthy and there are no immediate plans to put the beleaguered back on
injured reserve.

Cleveland wide receiver Greg Little catches a pass against the Tennessee Titans during the fourth quarter of this past Sunday’s game in Cleveland. Coach Pat Shurmur spent a big chunk of the Browns’ bye week trying to figure out how to jumpstart a West Coast offense lacking direction. In the end, he may realize the best solution could be to get the ball to Little. / Mark Duncan/AP

Written by

Tom Withers

Associated Press

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BEREA — Browns receiver Josh Cribbs was added to the injury report today as questionable for the Dolphins game with a groin injury. He did not practice today.

Three other Browns are questionable: running back Peyton Hillis (illness), wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi (ankle), and right tackle Tony Pashos (ankle). Hillis showed up sick this morning and was sent home for rest and fluids.

For the Dolphins, starting cornerback Vontae Davis is out with a hamstring injury. Running back Reggie Bush and receiver Brandon Marshall are probable with groin injuries.

Cribbs, the reigning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his two long returns that set up TDs, said this week he was looking forward to trying to provide the same spark against the Dolphins. He battled the groin injury on and off throughout camp.

Miami coach Tony Sparano said of Cribbs’ return ability: “I’ll be nervous unless we kick it out of the Dawg Pound.”

Massaquoi said today he’ll be totally fine for the Dolphins on Sunday, and Pashos said he’s day-to-day and isn’t sure. Pashos worked with the second-team offense, meaning he’s getting closer — but it might not happen this week.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green will visit the Browns today, one of many big-name draft prospects visiting the team this week.

Green, who many predict the Browns will take with their No. 6 overall pick, caught 57 passes for 848 yards and nine touchdowns in 2010, despite being suspended for the first four games of the season for receiving improper agent benefits.

On Monday, Green visited the Bengals, who have the No. 4 pick. If the Browns wait until the second round to select a wide receiver, they might look to Troy’s Jerrel Jernigan, who was in town Tuesday. Jernigan ran a sizzling 4.38 on his pro day. Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers will also complete his visit here today.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — As the April 28-30 NFL draft approaches, the consensus remains that the Cleveland Browns, barring a trade, will use their first pick and the sixth overall to select either a wide receiver or defensive lineman.

In his latest mock draft, published this morning, Peter Schrager of FoxSports.com predicts that the Browns will pick Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green.

Schrager writes, in part:

With Cleveland moving to a 4-3 scheme and Bowers, Fairley and Quinn — three of the elite defensive linemen of this draft— all still on the board, there will be sentiment out of Cleveland to take one of the big boys over a receiver. In the end, though, I think Cleveland goes with the game-breaker in Green.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Browns coverage includes Tony Grossi’s report on who the Browns might unexpectedly pick in the first round; Mary Kay Cabot’s report that Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers might still be on the board when the Browns pick sixth. 

Post patterns

Several mock drafts are listed on USAToday.com.

CBSSports.com/NFLDraftScout.com lists the top 750 draft prospects in order, and 2,400 players overall. Really. They’re also divided into position.

Steve King writes for clevelandbrowns.com that the Browns tabbed two future Hall of Famers in the 1964 draft: wide receiver Paul Warfield and running back Leroy Kelly.

The defensive linemen in the draft are ranked by Vinnie Iyer for SportingNews.com.

Some interesting draft prospects who have uncommon resumes, by Don Banks for Sports Illustrated’s SI.com.

The legacy of former Browns coach, and former Bengals coach and owner, Paul Brown, on bengals.com.

Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers’ pro day workout, by Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.