Cleveland linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will miss Sunday’s home game against the Los Angeles Chargers because of a neck injury, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Wednesday.
Stefanski also said that cornerback Denzel Ward is day to day as he works through the concussion protocol. Ward did not practice on Wednesday.
Both players were injured in the third quarter of last Sunday’s 29-24 home win over the Baltimore Ravens.
Owusu-Koramoah was carted off the field after colliding with Baltimore running back Derrick Henry, whose right shoulder barreled into the linebacker’s head and neck area on a 10-yard run.
Owusu-Koramoah was taken to a local hospital and kept overnight before he was discharged on Monday.
“He was here today. He’s home now,” Stefanski said Wednesday. “He’s getting better, but no update past that.”
Owusu-Koramoah, who turns 25 on Monday, has started all eight games and has a team-high 61 tackles as well as three sacks, 10 tackles for loss and four quarterback hits.
“He’s been unbelievable,” Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II said. “I think he’s the best linebacker in the entire NFL. So, losing a guy like that is definitely very hard. But we got guys that stepped up for him in those moments — like Mohamoud Diabate played unbelievable out there. We got Winston Reid. We got a lot of guys that can fill that void as best as they can. It’s definitely hard to replace a guy like JOK, he’s one of a kind.”
The Browns selected him in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame. He has 308 tackles, eight sacks, 50 tackles for loss, 14 quarterback hits, three interceptions and six forced fumbles in 49 games (41 starts). Owusu-Koramoah posted a career-high 101 tackles in 16 games (13 starts) last season and made his first Pro Bowl.
Ward, 27, was the fourth overall pick of the 2018 draft. The Ohio State product has started all eight games this season and has 15 tackles and a league-high 12 passes defensed.
He now has sustained six documented concussions across his seven NFL seasons.
Ward has 288 career tackles, 15 interceptions — including two returned for touchdowns, 88 passes defensed, three forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries — two brought back for TDs — in 87 games (84 starts).