Defensive end Desmond Bryant got off to a fast start with the Browns last season, picking up 3.5 sacks and providing strong work against the run in his first month as a member of the team.
Things slowed down in Week Five, though. Bryant was sidelined by an irregular heartbeat in a game against the Bills, necessitating a trip to the hospital that didn’t stop Bryant from returning to action the next week. Bryant said Wednesday that he didn’t feel his play was affected, but was less productive before another heart episode ended his season after 12 games.
Bryant had a cardiac ablation to deal with the procedure at that point and was cleared to start conditioning in March. Bryant took part in the team’s minicamp practice on Wednesday after missing Tuesday for reasons not related to his heart procedure and said afterward that he’s felling good.
“While it was kind of a trying time, I was also excited to get this procedure done and put that behind me,” Bryant said, via Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. “Since then, the training, I’ve been feeling really well, I’m back, I’m healthy, today got back on the field a little bit, and can’t wait to keep going.”
As long as Bryant is healthy, he should be back toward the top of Cleveland’s defensive line rotation next season. If his productivity returns along with his health, he’ll stay there.