The Cleveland Browns were always going to be without Kareem Hunt for the first eight games of 2019, but the assumption was the former Pro Bowler would be ready to hit the ground running with his new team once his suspension came to a close after months of work on the practice field. As Cleveland opens training camp on Wednesday, though, comes word that Hunt's full-scale acclimation to the Browns will be mitigated by more than just his suspension.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Hunt will begin training camp on the non-foot injury list with a groin injury.

The severity of the injury is currently unclear.

The Browns signed Hunt in February. He was released by the Kansas City Chiefs in late November of last year following video surfacing of him assaulting a woman at a Cleveland hotel the previous February. The NFL announced in March that Hunt would be suspended for the first half of the 2019 regular season as a result of him violating the league's personal conduct policy.

The NFL’s leading rusher and a Pro Bowler as a rookie, Hunt was in the midst of another stellar campaign when the video of his assault was released, rushing for 824 yards and scoring 14 total touchdowns through 11 games played. He was a third-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Hunt figures to slot in next to sophomore standout Nick Chubb upon returning, giving Cleveland arguably the best pair of running backs in all of football. In Hunt, Chubb, franchise quarterback Baker Mayfield, All-Pro receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, and rising-star tight end David Njoku, the Browns boast as much skill talent as any team in the NFL.