Wyatt Teller suffered a knee injury on Sunday, and he is now facing a notable absence. The Pro Bowl Browns guard is dealing with a Grade 2 MCL sprain, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. 
As a result, Garafolo adds an absence of roughly four weeks is expected. Head coach Kevin Stafanski said on Monday the team is considering injured reserve, a move which would require at least four games on the sidelines. An IR stint would come as no surprise given Teller’s reported recovery timeline, although Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot notes a second opinion is being sought out before any final decisions are made.
Losing Teller for any extended period would of course represent a major blow to Browns’ O-line. The 29-year-old has formed one of the league’s top guard tandems alongside Joel Bitonio since 2019. The last time Teller missed signficant time was in 2020, when he was sidelined for five games. A similar span on the sidelines appears to be in store.
Teller earned a second-team All-Pro nod in 2020 and again the following year. He has been a Pro Bowler for each of the past three seasons, leading to expectations for another standout campaign in 2024. As the Browns move forward with question marks at the quarterback spot, though, they will be increasingly shorthanded up front. Left tackle Jedrick Wills made his season debut yesterday, but fellow lineman James Hudson suffered a shoulder injury which Cabot notes will require an MRI. Right tackle Jack Conklin has yet to play this season.
Third-round rookie Zak Zinter logged a career-high 51 offensive snaps in Week 3, and he could be in line to handle starting duties while Teller is sidelined. Cleveland dedicated two return slots to Michael Dunn and Nyheim Hines before roster cutdowns, leaving the team with six IR activations. Teller will use up one of them once healthy in the event he is indeed moved to injured reserve.