BEREA, Ohio — Browns safety Juan Thornhill knew this year had to be different. After suffering through one of his most difficult seasons mentally and physically, a year where he didn’t know week to week how his strained calf would respond, he had to take a different approach when he suffered nearly the same injury, this time on his other calf, in the season opener against Dallas.

“I had some time to sit down and last year I didn’t have that,” Thornhill said, “and I just didn’t want to have to keep repeating the same injury all over again. So last year I would come back, play for one week and then be out the next. So that’s why they decided to put me on IR to sit down and just let this thing heal.”Thornhill played in 11 games in 2023, his first year with the Browns after signing a three-year, $21 million deal. He arrived here from the Chiefs, a two-time Super Bowl champion expected to take on a leadership role in new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s scheme.

Thornhill originally injured his calf last year in the leadup to the opener against the Bengals, missing that game, returning to play the next eight games before injuring the calf more seriously in the third quarter of the Browns’ 10 win over the Ravens.

He missed five of the next eight regular season games, struggling to get healthy. He did manage to return for the playoff-clinching win over the Jets and the wild card loss in Houston after being in and out of the lineup for the six weeks prior. (The Browns rested most of their starters in their season finale against the Bengals.)

Thornhill never quite felt or played like himself last year and this time around, he realized it was best for everyone if he let the calf heal. The Browns placed him on injured reserve following their Week 1 loss against the Cowboys.

“I was just like, if I sit down a couple of weeks and let this thing heal, we can go on a great run,” he said. “I have how many games, 11 games to play? We could turn this thing around. So that was my main goal behind it. Just sit down and let it heal.”

The injury wasn’t exactly the same as last season. It was his other leg and, last year, it was a grade 2 soleus strain. This time it was a grade 2 gastrocnemius strain.

He knew during the Cowboys game when it happened and said he can be seen limping around on the film, but he was determined to finish.

“In the game. I’m just like, ‘Oh my gosh, it happened again,’” he said, “but then I got the MRI back and I was very frustrated for a day or two, but then I got out of that mindset pretty quick. I was just like, I just got to do everything possible to help the team in the film room and things like that. So that’s all I could do. I couldn’t be on the field helping the team, so I just had to find a way to stay positive.”

Thornhill, who said he only dealt with one other calf injury while with the Chiefs, which only forced him to miss one game, changed his training routine this offseason, switching to one emphasizing higher weights and fewer reps instead of the opposite, which was his previous approach.

“(This injury) was pretty rough because I felt like I did everything correct this offseason, prepared, I felt like I was good,” Thornhill said, “but then it’s just a freakish accident and things happen.”

One positive for Thornhill was getting to spend more time with his daughter, Aspen, born at the end of May.

“It’s been a lot better for me. Now that I have my daughter, I’m trying to be as positive as I can.” he said. “I get to go home and spend time with her, but I’m back in this thing, man, ready to go.”

Thornhill was limited all week in practice this week and is listed as questionable for Sunday. The Browns will have to activate him from injured reserve by 4 p.m. on Saturday but he sounds like he’s ready to go. He sounds like he plans to play.

“I think it’s time to go,” he said. “I’ve tested it for the past three days and I feel like I said I’m in a great spot and I feel like I’m ready to play.”

This would mark the first time since Week 1 the Browns would have their full complement of safeties with Thornhill and Grant Delpit, who has cleared concussion protocol, joining Rodney McLeod.

Thornhill might not be returning to an ideal situation, with the Browns’ playoff hopes seemingly out of reach, but he’s not ready to say it’s over. He said so during a talk with the team.

“If you look at our record, a lot of people outside this building may think our season’s over, and I just wanted to bring positivity into this building, talking to the guys like, listen, we’re 1-5. No one wants to have a 1-5 record, but if you really take a step back and think to the good side, we’re 1-1 in the AFC,” he said. “We have 10 AFC games ahead of us, our whole season is still ahead of us. We have an easy opportunity to go out each week and keep winning, we got a great opportunity to still make it to the playoffs.”

Thornhill also believes he’ll provide a needed boost, something he hasn’t been able to do while he’s watched his team struggle.

“Me being out there now, I feel like I can help the team,” he said, “because I just know what type of player I am. I can make plays and I can fly around. I definitely feel like I can help.”

This year, he’ll be in a much better position physically to provide the help the Browns need.