​Linebacker Devin Lloyd #55 of the Carolina Panthers will be out vs. the Browns. GettyIt’s only one win but somehow, in the wake of their Week 2 breakthrough, the Cleveland Browns are feeling their oats. After practice on Friday, there was chatter about Deshaun Watson having his best week of practice to date, and there was a team-wide rendition of “Don’t Stop Believin’” with the media looking on. Certainly, as the kids say, there are better vibes in Berea these days, but still, the margin for victory for this team is very slender. Though there is a bit more daylight now, after word came out on Friday that star Panthers linebacker Devin Lloyd will be out with a calf injury. Lloyd is just one player, of course, but anyone who got a load of the Panthers’ win in Week 2–34-3 over the Falcons–knows what a force he can be. In that game, Lloyd recorded nine tackles, two for a loss (including one sack), plus two interceptions and another pass defended. Lloyd returned one of the interceptions for a touchdown. Lloyd was asked after the game if he’d had a game like that before. “Not in my NFL career,” he said. Devin Lloyd ‘An Incredible Leader’That’s another bit of good news for the Browns and Watson, the much-maligned quarterback who will try to win back some goodwill on Sunday in the team’s 2026 home debut. Lloyd is very much the driver of the Panthers defense. Star teammate Jaelen Phillips said of Lloyd: “He’s just an incredible leader, incredible human, incredible talent, you know, to me he’s a gold jacket guy, man. I’m honored to be on the same field as him.“I mean, he was everywhere. He’s a force to be reckoned with, and I’ve been saying this since OTAs that he’s the best football player I’ve played with. Truly honored to be on the field with him and just excited to keep seeing what he does, and he just encourages all of us to play better, be better, lifts everybody up around him, and so it’s a blessing to be on the same field with him.”#Browns Todd Monken said Deshaun Watson “had his best week” of practice so far: —-> pic.twitter.com/8D4EhiC7rW— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 25, 2026Browns Ready to ‘Put Best Foot Forward’Browns coach Todd Monken, though, was circumspect about the Lloyd injury, which he learned of Friday afternoon. Obviously, it hurts the Panthers and should be a plus for the Browns. But there’s no telling how his backup–listed as Jackson Kuwatch–will play in relief. Said Monken: “First of all, he’s a tremendous player. I got a lot of respect for him, but I have a lot of respect for their staff, and that’s the NFL, you have to have the next man up and be ready to play. And I did not know that. So, you’re telling me that now. So, I did not know that. “But we prepared for the Carolina Panthers, and he’s a part of that. And we’ll continue to prepare over the next 40 hours, 48 hours, put our best foot forward.” This article was originally publi