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James-Michael Johnson Injury: Rookie LB Not At Practice Again, Likely Out Vs. Bengals

The Cleveland Browns are still very iffy at the linebacker position. Scott Fujita managed to free himself of the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, at least temporarily, but still missed the Week 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles thanks to a leg injury. Then there's James-Michael Johnson, who also missed Week 1 with a ribs/oblique injury. Cleveland is down to starting an undrafted rookie linebacker in L.J. Fort.

It's looking like that will continue in Week 2. Scott Petrak reported via Twitter that Johnson missed practice again on Thursday. Mary Kay Cabot followed that up with her thoughts on Johnson, suggesting that he'll sit on Sunday:

Fort picked off Michael Vick in his NFL debut on Sunday, so the Browns aren't exactly in bad hands. Still, with how thin they are at linebacker (Chris Gocong is also out for the season with an Achilles injury), Johnson is sorely missed. It would be a blow for him to miss another week, especially with a division rival on the schedule for Week 2.

Safety Ray Ventrone also missed practice.

For more on the Cleveland Browns, check out Dawgs By Nature and SB Nation Cleveland. To read about the Cincinnati Bengals, visit Cincy Jungle.

Photographs by spatulated, Triple Tri, and chrischappelear used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.