Many fans were preparing themselves to be rooting for a Browns team without Shaun Rogers for at least one game following his arrest on weapons possession. But as we head into the third game of the preseason and Rogers is yet to take to the practice field, there is growing suspicion that the Pro Bowl defensive lineman could be heading to the Physically Unable to Perform list, ultimately forcing the big man to miss at least the first six games of the NFL season.
Undergoing offseason ankle surgery, Rogers was placed on the preseason PUP list, forcing him to the stationary bikes for the majority of training camp. The latest report surrounding Rogers was of the similar tune to those that came earlier in the preseason. Head coach Eric Mangini qualified Rogers’ situation as “moving along,” and stated that the team hopes to know more in the coming weeks.
The Browns will ultimately face a three-pronged fork in the road within the coming weeks, having to designate their 53-man roster by September 5th. With regard to Rogers, the team could choose to activate him, place him on the in-season PUP list or go the completely (previously unforeseen) opposite route of season-ending injured reserve.
A lot of speculation stems from the fact that the team has been very, very quiet about Rogers’ status. Mangini stated more than once that he did not want to put a timeline on the player’s potential return to the field, igniting a fire of must-think-the-worst proportions.
Fortunately for the Browns, in the event that Rogers were to land on the in-season PUP list or simply miss a few games despite being active, these contests would count towards any potential suspension that Rogers could face resulting from his early-April incident at Cleveland Hopkins Airport where he was found with a loaded weapon inside of his carry-on luggage.
Those wondering when this ruling will be handed down, Lane Adkins of The OBR reports that we may hear something within the next 10 days, conveniently around the same time as the Browns are due to formalize their 53-man roster.
To be continued…
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Image courtesy of The OBR
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