The Cleveland Browns are entering a new era of their franchise after new owner Jimmy Haslam took over and with two rookies starting last year in Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson, the new regime is ready to see what it has, but that may have to wait.
According to ESPN.com, Richardson may be out of action for a while for the Browns, as he is dealing with a shin injury and could be off the field until at least July when the team has training camp. Richardson had some injury issues last season and the team is likely treating him carefully as the summer moves on. The running back from Alabama dealt with knee and rib injuries last year and while the team might be worried about his durability going forward, last year he had no problem going on the field for over 700 snaps.
The biggest issue for Richardson is getting a grasp of the new offense and working more with Weeden, who is the likely starter in 2013, but there is a chance he could get beaten out by Jason Campbell or Brian Hoyer. Richardson is under a new coach and coordinator in Rob Chudzinski and Norv Turner and the team is hoping he has a huge season after coming in as a rookie and ranking ninth in snaps.
Richardson has the potential to be one of the best running backs in the league and after using the number three overall pick on him, the Browns are hoping he can be an Adrian Peterson type going forward. Last season the team ranked 19th in rushing yards per game and he had nearly 1,000 on the ground with 11 touchdowns to show that he has a knack for getting in the end zone.
The Browns had issues scoring consistently and this season and the team is hoping that with Chudzinski at the helm, everything will start improving. Weeden has looked better in OTA workouts than he did at the end of last season and after going 5-11 the team is hoping to do better in 2013.