CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 27: Amari Cooper #89 of the Oakland Raiders makes a catch in front of Joe Haden #23 of the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 27, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Browns Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden caught some heat for his performance against rookie receiver Amari Cooper in Sunday's loss to Oakland, but there may have been a reason for it.
Haden said he suffered a rib injury on the first play of the game when he landed on Cooper's helmet. Haden stayed in the game until making a tackle on running back Latavus Murray early in the third quarter. He returned after a trip to the locker room showed that X-rays were negative.
Haden said he toughed out the injury due to the team's lack of depth behind him. K'Waun Williams was inactive due to a concussion and Justin Gilbert was relegated to special teams in his first game of the year. Haden refused to use the injury as an excuse for Cooper's 134-yard day on eight catches.
"I'm out there, so you have to make plays when you're out there," Haden said via the Akron Beacon Journal. "We didn't have anybody else."
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