Martin Emerson Jr.’s season is very likely over.
The Cleveland Browns cornerback suffered an Achilles injury in practice on Tuesday, the team confirmed. Emerson will have an MRI on Wednesday to determine the severity, but it is believed to be a season-ending ruptured Achilles, according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
Emerson was covering wide receiver Diontae Johnson in a 7-on-7 drill in practice on Tuesday when he went down with a non-contact injury. Emerson was in a significant amount of pain almost immediately, and remained on the ground for quite some time after ripping his helmet off while grabbing at the back of his left leg.
He was seen with tears in his eyes before he placed a towel over his head and rode a cart off the field. Emerson didn't place any weight on his left leg as he got up onto the cart, either.
Emerson racked up 80 total tackles last season as a starter, which was easily the best outing of his career so far even though he dealt with several injuries. The Browns selected the 24-year-old in the third round of the 2022 draft out of Mississippi State. He was set to enter the final year of his initial rookie contract this fall, too, which makes the injury even more significant as he works toward a second deal.
Emerson spoke with reporters about his offseason and his new mentality just hours before the injury, too.
“Just did a lot of soul searching, honestly, this offseason,” he said, via Cleveland.com. “The toughest year I ever had team-wise and also personal performance. So I just got into the lab, man, and worked my tail off so I could put myself in the best situation for my team, but also my family.”
With Emerson now out, it’s unclear who the Browns may tab to replace him this season. They could move Greg Newsome II to the outside, or work in backups Cam Mitchell or Tony Brown in some fashion. The Browns still have plenty of time to work that out before their season opener on Sept. 7.
Comments