Earlier on Thursday, there was a report that Browns running back Trent Richardson would have surgery on his left knee on Thursday.
The surgery, needed to clean up loose cartilage in Richardson’s knee a little more than six months after an operation to repair a torn meniscus, went off as scheduled. As with almost every surgery performed on an athlete, initial reports have deemed the operation a success.
“Trent Richardson underwent a successful routine arthroscopic procedure today on his left knee,” coach Pat Shurmur said in a statement released by the team. “It was performed by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla. We anticipate that Trent will make a speedy recovery, and we are hopeful that he will be ready for our Week One game against Philadelphia.”
Losing Richardson for the preseason is definitely a big blow to the installation of the new Browns offense. They hope to have Richardson, quarterback Brandon Weeden, wide receiver Josh Gordon and tackle Mitchell Schwartz as the foundation of their offense moving forward and this preseason was a good way to start that process.
It doesn’t end the process, especially if Richardson is able to make good on the Week One return date, but it will force the Browns to take things a bit slower than they might like as we head toward the regular season.