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The Cleveland Browns have been hit hard by injuries and COVID-19 as much if not more than any team in the NFL in 2021 and during Monday's back-breaking last-minute loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Browns lost yet another team contributor. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, pass-rusher Takk McKinley is believed to have suffered a torn Achilles tendon, thus ending his 2021 season.
#Browns pass-rusher Takk McKinley is feared to have suffered a torn Achilles, source said. He’ll have an MRI in the morning to determine if that is the case.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 21, 2021
McKinley's teammates were immediately disheartened by the news, especially quarterback Baker Mayfield, who took to Twitter himself to share his thoughts on the situation:
🙏🏼🙏🏼 please don’t be a serious injury for Takk
— Baker Mayfield (@bakermayfield) December 21, 2021
Clearly, McKinley has made some friends in his short time in Cleveland and his loss is seemingly going to be felt on and off of the field. McKinley had two and a half sacks this season as a rotational player before going down. he also has 18 tackles on the year and forced a big fumble against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14.
Originally a first-round draft pick out of UCLA, McKinley had two promising years, but fell out of favor in Atlanta and was gone by the end of his first contract. His fifth-year option was not picked up in 2019 and he requested a trade privately. When a trade never materialized, McKinley demanded a trade publicly and was instead cut. He was claimed by the Las Vegas Raiders but never ended up playing for the team before signing with Cleveland this off-season.
McKinley was just activated in time for Monday's game after initially being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list last week. He ultimately did not miss a game due to the virus but his season will end prematurely nevertheless. McKinley will now head into free agency as a 26-year old with 20 career sacks and an ongoing Achilles tendon rehab.
