After defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson missed the Browns’ first work at training camp on Wednesday as a surprise addition to the physically-unable-to-perform list, Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Thursday the former Alabama standout would undergo arthroscopic knee surgery on Friday.
“It’s one of those things,” Stefanski said. “You come in, you check everybody’s physical, sometimes you do MRIs and you check in and you make a decision that you think is in the best interests. For Dalvin, the timing of this -- obviously no timing is good -- but felt like this is something we can get out of the way.”
The Browns kick off their regular season on Sept. 8 against the Dallas Cowboys and are hoping Tomlinson will be back by then.
In his seven NFL seasons, Tomlinson has missed six games and has started all 109 regular-season and both postseason contests in which he has appeared.
Tomlinson joined Cleveland last offseason as a free agent for a four-year, $57 million contract. The Browns defense yielded the fewest yards in the NFL in 2023 as Tomlinson recorded 28 tackles, three sacks, four tackles for loss and 12 quarterback hits.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.