Browns’ TE Heiden back from surgery

BEREA (AP) — Three days after severely injuring his right knee, Cleveland Browns tight end Steve Heiden was on the operating table having it reconstructed.

On Monday, just eight months after surgery, he was medically cleared and back on the practice field.

“It’s not a success story yet,” Heiden said. “I haven’t done anything. I’ve practiced once. I’m keeping it at that.”

With Kellen Winslow traded to Tampa Bay during the offseason, the starting tight end job is wide open in Cleveland.

Heiden, who caught 23 passes last year as a backup and is more of a traditional blocker than Winslow, is the most logical choice if he is healthy.

Eagles defensive tackle Broderick Bunkley rolled up the back of Heiden’s leg during a Monday night game on Dec. 15, tearing both the ACL and MCL in Heiden’s knee.

It was a devastating injury, but Heiden, a third-round pick of the San Diego Chargers in 1999, never thought his career was over. Although some players who suffer serious knee injuries must wait weeks for the swelling to subside before surgery, Heiden dealt with it right away.

“I wanted the surgery as quickly as possible so I could get back on the field,” Heiden said. “I didn’t want them to wait. I wanted to get it done and get rolling. I was lucky enough that they could do it because I didn’t have as much swelling.”

An ankle injury also forced Heiden to miss the last seven games of the 2003 season, his second with the Browns after the team acquired him for a seventh-round pick in 2002. Heiden has started 64 games for Cleveland, catching 177 passes for 1,524 yards and 11 touchdowns.

He was the primary starter when Winslow was injured. Now he has the chance to take over permanently.

“It was a lot of work,” Heiden said of the recovery. “Like anything, if you want to be good at something or recover quickly, you have to work hard.”

The rest of the Browns’ injury report remains unchanged. Receiver Braylon Edwards and defensive tackle Shaun Rogers were withheld from contact Monday and spent most of the morning practice on the exercise bike. Edwards hasn’t practiced since arriving a day late and failing his physical last week. Rogers practiced on Saturday, the first day of training camp, but has missed the last two days.