Cleveland Browns’ Buster Skrine gets the start; Rubin out
By Matt Shetler
The Cleveland Browns will be missing a couple of talented defensive players when they open up the season against the Miami Dolphins as both rookie Barkevious Mingo and Ahtyba Rubin have been ruled out.
However new Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski got some good news in terms of cornerback Buster Skrine, who will start in the season opener despite suffering a shoulder injury Thursday during practice and entering the weekend listed as questionable on the injury report.
Having Skrine, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga product, in uniform strengthens a Browns defense that ranked 23rd in the NFL a season ago.
In other Cleveland injury news, Billy Winn will start in Rubin’s place. Rubin sat out three-plus games with an injured calf last season, but this is reportedly an entirely different injury.
In addition to Rubin, quarterback Brian Hoyer, tight end MarQueis Gray, rookie outside linebacker Mingo (bruised lung), offensive lineman Martin Wallace, right guard Shawn Lauvao (high ankle sprain) and outside linebacker Paul Hazel are inactive for the Browns.
Oniel Cousins will start in place of Lauvao at right guard, and you could see the Browns depth be tested early on both sides of the ball, which is something Chudzinski could find challenging.