Browns injury report: James Hudson III to start at left tackle in opener vs. Cowboys
CLEVELAND — James Hudson III will start at left tackle for the Browns when they open the season against the Dallas Cowboys. Jack Conklin, meanwhile, will wait to make his game return.
Hudson will start in place of the injured Jedrick Wills Jr., ending the mystery that has surrounded the position for the duration of the preseason. He was the default choice when the Browns elected to have Conklin inactive against Dallas as he continues to recover from his own knee injury.
Dawand Jones will start at right tackle, which is where he's lined up throughout the preseason. Germain Ifedi, elevated from the practice squad to the gameday roster on Saturday, will be the backup at both tackle spots.
The opener will be Hudson's first career start at left tackle in the NFL. He did start for two seasons at the University of Cincinnati before he was drafted in the fourth round by the Browns in 2021.
Hudson has played 71 career regular-season snaps at the position in the NFL. He spent most of the preseason and training camp playing the position.
Hudson has become the Browns' first answer at tackle when an injury arises. Despite making 15 starts over the last three season over 46 regular-season or playoff games, he's never been seen as the long-term starter going into a season.
Conklin and Wills both returned to practice over the last two weeks from injuries that had ended their 2023 seasons. Conklin, who suffered a catastrophic knee injury in last year's season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, returned to practice on Aug. 27.
Wills was back at practice on Friday, the same day the Browns also officially ruled him out for the opener. He returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since suffering the injury to the right knee last Nov. 5 against the Arizona Cardinals.
These Browns will also be inactive against the Cowboys:
QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (3QB)
CB Kahlef Hailassie
CB Myles Harden
DE Isaiah McGuire
G Javion Cohen
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns injury report: James Hudson III opens at left tackle vs. Dallas
