Only two days into the new season and already there are some big problems for the Browns.

 

And it’s all in one place, the defensive backfield, a spot where the club can ill afford for anything – let alone two things – to go wrong.

 

For starters – and he might possibly have been one this year – the Browns announced on Saturday that cornerback Howard Wilson suffered a fractured kneecap on Friday during the team’s first rookie mini camp practice. It’s not a certainty yet – that’s to be determined later — but it’s highly likely that the fourth-round pick in the NFL Draft will be lost for the season. In fact, you can just about count on it.

 

It’s the second time in less than two years that Wilson has suffered a major knee injury, as he missed most of the 2015 season with a torn ACL. That’s worrisome. Why is this happening? Will his knees ever be healthy for an extended time? How much does this set the Browns back? Head coach Hue Jackson admitted the obvious, that it’s a huge deal. Fourth-rounders are valuable picks, and Wilson was expected to vie for a starting spot.

 

While all this is going on, safety Jabrill Peppers continues to answer more questions from the media about drug tests than he does about things on the field. The situation is getting more terse by the day. Peppers, who will start unless something catastrophic happens, is getting frustrated by the media’s understandable fixation with it, but reporters don’t care. They continue to pound away with their inquiries. Drug-related issues are lightning rods for any players, especially high-profile ones.

 

Peppers had better get used to it. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh protects his players, particularly the elite ones such as Peppers. Media members covering the Wolverines seemed scared to death to cross Harbaugh by asking him or his players tough questions.

 

But this is the NFL and it’s a business – for both the players and the press. And Peppers had better get used to it. No use ticking off the media so soon. The regular season won’t start for four months.

 

Speaking of that timeline, at this rate, you have to wonder what other big negatives may be dogging the Browns by the Sept. 10 opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.