Written by David Regimbal

---

After suffering a season ending injury last September that required ACL surgery on his knee, Montario Hardesty returned to the football field with his teammates at the Browns practice facility yesterday. The coaching staff and management are high on Hardesty, and his return to the field only boosts a position of strength for the Browns that includes Peyton Hillis and Brandon Jackson.

The second round draft pick from Tennessee has battled injuries his entire career. It was considered a gamble when the Browns traded lesser draft picks to be in a position to select Hardesty in the second round in 2010, but after a breakout senior season where he rushed for 1,345 yards and 13 touchdowns, Cleveland tossed the dice with him. In college, Hardesty started ahead of arguably the leagues best running back in Arian Foster -- so there is potential in the young back if he can stay healthy.

That’s the big question: can he stay healthy? New head coach Pat Shurmur will be monitoring his progress and taking things slowly, but as of yesterday, Hardesty looked pretty good, “It was good seeing him out there. I think he enjoyed being back at practice. We'll go in now and evaluate how he did and move forward."