While celebrating a divisional victory on Sunday, the Cleveland Browns lost a key veteran piece to their secondary for the season. According to Andrew Siciliano, defensive back Rodney McLeod will miss the rest of the season due to a biceps injury that will necessitate surgery.
McLeod, who is in his first season with the Browns and his 12th overall as a pro, has played in all ten games this season, starting five of them. In five games, he had 29 tackles, two for loss, and played 40 percent or more of the snaps.
McLeod is on his second team in as many seasons, having previously played for the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles, with whom he won a Super Bowl in 2017. In 2022, he appeared in all 17 games for the Indianapolis Colts.
McLeod was part of a Browns defense that has taken opposing offenses by storm and is a big reason why Cleveland is 7-3 as the season enters a critical stretch. The Browns have the league’s best total defense, thanks in large part to the league’s best passing defense.
Cleveland allows 143 passing yards per game, which is far and away the lowest in the league. They’ve also had to deal with some solid quarterback play, including Joe Burrow, Brock Purdy, and Lamar Jackson twice.
They will now have to play the final seven games of the season without Rodney McLeod, an outspoken veteran with plenty of big-game experience. The rest of the season, the Browns face only one top-15 offense: the Houston Texans and rookie sensation CJ Stroud.
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