REPORT: Alabama loose defensive tackle for arthroscopic surgery

After defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson unexpectedly missed the Browns’ first training camp practice on Wednesday, being added to the physically-unable-to-perform list, Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Thursday that the former Alabama star would undergo arthroscopic knee surgery on Friday.

“It’s one of those things,” Stefanski said. “You come in, you check everybody’s physical, sometimes you do MRIs, and you make a decision that you think is in the best interest. For Dalvin, the timing of this — obviously no timing is good — but we felt like this is something we can get out of the way.”

The Browns begin their regular season on September 8 against the Dallas Cowboys and hope Tomlinson will be ready by then.

In his seven NFL seasons, Tomlinson has missed only six games and started all 109 regular-season and both postseason games he has played in.

Tomlinson joined Cleveland last offseason as a free agent, signing a four-year, $57 million contract. The Browns’ defense allowed the fewest yards in the NFL in 2023, with Tomlinson contributing 28 tackles, three sacks, four tackles for loss, and 12 quarterback hits.