Trent Richardson will play in Browns' preseason game

Trent Richardson is about to come out of shrink wrap.

Cleveland Browns coach Rob Chudzinski told reporters Tuesday that Richardson will play "a couple series" Thursday against the Detroit Lions, according to The Plain Dealer.

"Oh, he told you I'm playing?" Richardson said, per The Associated Press. "Hey, I'm surprised like y'all and I'm happy and I can't wait to get up out there."

"I kind of had a feeling he was going to say yeah today because he had me going in there with starters today," Richardson added. "It felt good when I was out there and I'm happy coach told y'all I can play."

It will be the first preseason action for the promising running back, who missed practices and was held out of the Browns' preseason opener after he was kicked in the shin earlier this month. A strained muscle in the same shin kept Richardson out of the bulk of the team's offseason activities.

There had been speculation the Browns would hold Richardson out for the entirety of the preseason schedule. Richardson played through multiple injuries as a rookie, and the Browns are attempting to ensure he is at 100 percent -- or as close to it as possible -- when the regular season begins.

It's a theory that manages to be both rooted in logic and flawed in premise. The Browns publicly have stated that they want to use Richardson as a workhorse. At some point, they need to stop treating him like a piece of fine china.

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