Cleveland Browns pass rusher Barkevious Mingo is still supremely talented, despite the fact that he hasn't yet created the on-field impact the team was hoping to see from him when they made him a first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Mingo, set to enter his third NFL season and presumably hellbent on finally realizing his prodigious potential, may have to wait a little longer before he's able to make his mark on the Browns defense. Mingo, according to a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, is feared to have torn his meniscus and could be out at least a month.
Mingo has dealt with a plethora of injuries already at the NFL level, including a shoulder injury last year that, while it only caused him to miss one game, limited his production and resulted in offseason shoulder surgery. His second NFL season brought just 42 tackles, two sacks and four passes defensed.
Considering Browns defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil suggested earlier this offseason that Mingo would have to earn his way back onto the field after his injury struggles and overall down season last year, this latest development likely does not bode well for his expected playing time in 2015.
"Guys are going to have to earn it," O'Neil said, via the team's website. "We don't care where you were drafted, when you were drafted, how much you're getting paid; the best 11 guys and the guys who earn their roles are the guys who are going to play. No one is guaranteed anything on the defense. Joe Haden knows that, Donte Whitner knows that and Karlos Dansby knows that. You're going to have to earn playing time. We're deep in every position group. Mingo is going to have to come back ready to go, and he's going to have to earn it."
Paul Kruger is locked in at one outside spot for the Browns, but with Mingo down it looks like Scott Solomon and recent second-round pick Nate Orchard will split duties across from him for the foreseeable future.
