OL Joel Bitonio placed on IR; Browns sign FB Dan Vitale

The injury bug just won’t stop biting the Cleveland Browns.

Friday afternoon, the Browns placed Joel Bitonio on the injured reserve with a mid-foot sprain suffered last week against the Patriots.

A key cog of the offensive line at left guard, Bitonio might be out for the season.

"Foot got tangled up a little bit and didn't even go to the ground," Bitonio told the media. "Just felt like, 'Oh, that hurt a little bit.' After the game I went in and they checked it out and did some more tests and stuff and we realized it was a little worse the next couple of days than we thought it was.

“Pretty crappy. It was crappy news, but it's part of the game."

Pretty crappy indeed.

Without Bitonio, the Browns will look to Alvin Bailey to fill Bitonio’s big shoes at guard. Bitonio was invaluable to a surprisingly resurgent run game this season.

To replace Bitonio, the Browns picked up fullback Dan Vitale off the Buccaneers’ practice squad.

A 6’1”, 239 pound rookie, Vitale was picked by Tampa Bay in the 6th round. The Northwestern grad did not play a down this year, spending the season on the club’s practice squad.

The Wheaton, Illinois native served as a reliable security blanket at Northwestern, hauling in 33 passes for 355 yards and 4 touchdowns as a senior.