Browns defensive lineman Danny Shelton suffered a calf injury during Wednesday's practice and his status for Sunday's game and beyond is uncertain.
Shelton, who dealt with a knee injury during the preseason, was a non-participant at Thursday's practice.
"I mean, you never know, but I am pretty confident that I will be good," Shelton said. "I feel a lot better from yesterday. Just working with the trainers and doing the treatment, it has been feeling a lot better."
If the Browns are without Shelton on Sunday against the Bengals, players such as Jamie Meder, Larry Ogunjobi and Caleb Brantley potentially would be in line for increased snaps.
-- The Browns had some better news on the injury front with Myles Garrett (ankle) and wide receiver Sammie Coates (hamstring). Both practiced in limited fashion after being sidelined for more than a week, respectively.
Linebacker Jamie Collins Sr. remained in the league's concussion protocol. He has been sidelined since the fourth quarter of Cleveland's Week 2 loss at Baltimore.
-- A number of Browns players agreed with Jackson's positive assessment about Garrett's return to practice.
He made his impact felt right away.
"There was one time where he came right off the edge, dusted the tackle and it would have been a sack if we were allowed to touch the quarterbacks in practice," linebacker Joe Schobert said. "The whole offensive line was kind of giving him a little a stick because, 'Oh, Myles is out here?' Saying stuff because it is his first time back and he has been missing. He looks good."
-- For the second time in four weeks, veteran offensive tackle Joe Thomas will be lined up across from one of the league's top rookie pass rushers.
The perennial All-Pro will see his fair share of Cincinnati's Carl Lawson on Sunday one week after the former Auburn star compiled multiple sacks against the Packers. The fourth-round selection had 2.5 sacks and another taken away because of a penalty.
"He had a career game and I think it was really a breakout game for him," Thomas said. "He has a lot of ability, a lot of nice pass rush moves and he is going to be a good challenge for us. Their front has been good since I have been in the NFL."
Lawson is a young piece on a veteran Cincinnati defensive line that features Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap, Michael Johnson and more. He's in a similar position as Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt, who had a breakout rookie debut against the Browns in Week 1.
"There is an element of unknown that you have to kind of prepare for," Thomas said. "You watch all the film you can and you try to get ready as much as you can, but for a guy that you have never played against there is a little bit of an unknown that kind of plays into it, so there is some anxiety more than going against a guy like a (Baltimore Ravens DE) (Terrell) Suggs or a (Pittsburgh Steelers DE) (James) Harrison that you have played 17, 18 times throughout your career."
