Trent Richardson was back at practice Wednesday, three days after the Cleveland Browns running back was benched in Sunday's loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Browns coach Pat Shurmur told reporters the rookie participated in a morning walk-through despite a lingering rib cartilage injury suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6. Richardson wore a flak jacket for protection against the Colts, but he struggled through his worst game of the season, tallying just 8 yards on eight carries.
"I'm gonna go out there and see what I can do," Richardson said, via the Akron Beacon Journal, after the walk-through, adding that if he couldn't play, he's OK with backup Montario Hardesty taking over.
Shurmur benched Richardson for the second half of the Colts game. "It hurt me inside just not being out there," Richardson said, before acknowledging that his coach "made a smart decision."
Richardson later told reporters his injury is "much bigger" than people realize.
ESPN's Ed Werder reported Tuesday the Browns were weighing the idea of shutting down Richardson through their Week 10 bye, but Shumur gave no indication of those plans Wednesday.
"I think what's important is if he's healthy to play, he plays," Shurmur said. "If they tell me he's at no risk to hurt it further, then we're playing ball. As I watch him in practice, just like we watched him in the game, if we feel like that's something that we can and should do, we'll do it. Otherwise, we're getting ready to play."
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