Cleveland Browns Preseason: Good Play, Injury Give Marcus Benard a Shot

The Cleveland Browns took the practice field on Tuesday morning of August 17 and there was a notable change in the linebacker group on the first-team defense.

With inside linebacker D'Qwell Jackson out of the lineup for six to eight weeks with an injury, Scott Fujita has now moved to the inside to take his place.

Fujita is a big linebacker at 6'5" and 250 pounds and he is by far the tallest linebacker the Browns have. Also, he played inside linebacker with the New Orleans Saints, who won the Super Bowl lasts season.

Fujita, who initially was playing on the outside for the Browns, is no stranger to the inside to which he has been switched.

That left an open spot at starting outside linebacker opposite Matt Roth. This morning, none other than second-year player Marcus Benard was starting in place of Fujita due to Jackson's injury.

Benard made his name well known across the NFL and especially Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans when he sacked Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger twice on a cold weekday evening back in November when the Browns started their four-game season ending winning streak.

Against the Green Bay Packers this past Saturday, Benard was second on the team in total tackles, registered a sack and forced a fumble, he is now playing with the first team.

Jackson's injury and Benard's play on game days have given the undrafted linebacker out of Jackson State a chance to finally be a starter in the NFL. He probably will be the starting outside linebacker against the St. Louis Rams this weekend at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Benard is the classic example of how hard work and dedication can help you accomplish your goals. He is another unknown player that the Browns have been able to find and build into a playmaker.

He joins a group currently on the roster who were either undrafted or castoffs from other teams' rosters that include Josh Cribbs and Evan Moore.

Browns fans all know the story of Cribbs and are quickly learning Moore's story. Moore is also ready to contribute on the offense in his second year and looks to be the No. 2 tight end behind starter Ben Watson.

Benard is just another player who the Browns have been able to take advantage of as an unknown and he looks to build his resume and use this time with the first team to possibly cement a spot on it for many years to come.

Look for Benard to get some major pressure on the Rams and No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford this weekend on the shores of Lake Erie.

(Daniel Wolf is exclusively covering the Browns training camp for both Bleacher Report and Dawg Scooper: THE Cleveland Browns Blog.)