Report: Brian Hoyer may have torn his ACL

Cleveland Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer (6) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Browns QB Brian Hoyer was bounced out of last night’s victory early on with a right knee injury, and the Browns are afraid that Hoyer tore his ACL, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Brandon Weeden, who is fresh off of a thumb injury, came in for Hoyer in relief and was able to beat a below-average Buffalo Bills defense on the road to victory. Even looking at last night’s win, it’s easy to see that Hoyer gives the Browns a better chance of winning, so a season-ending injury like an ACL tear would be a major blow to the Browns.

Brian Hoyer left the game with a right knee injury after trying to slide about five minutes into the game, but he was met by Bills star rookie linebacker Kiko Alonso instead. The injury looked severe from the get-go, but he was able to walk to the locker room without any help. That’s not much to go off of, though, because the Browns reportedly feared torn ligaments as well yesterday.

Schefter states that the Browns won’t know Hoyer’s injury status for sure until he undergoes MRI’s today, and I’m hoping for the best but expecting the worst at this point. A torn ACL is the worst-case scenario at this point, but there’s a good chance that Hoyer did suffer that severe of an injury. There is a clear downgrade from Weeden to Hoyer, and we all saw that last night despite the victory. He’s not a legitimate starting quarterback in this league, and the Browns are probably better off starting Jason Campbell over Weeden.

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