Gary Barnidge

Gary Barnidge underwent sports hernia surgery but will be back for camp.

(Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's hard to miss a 6-6, 250-pound man during an organized team activities practice, so when Gary Barnidge was missing Wednesday, it sent up a red flag.

Coach Hue Jackson said after practice he had an excused absence, but provided no further details. But Thursday, at the Browns Foundation Golf outing, Jackson revealed that his Pro Bowl tight end underwent sports hernia surgery earlier in the morning in Philadelphia.

He'll miss the mandatory three-day minicamp next week, but is expected back sometime during training camp, which begins in late July.

Barnidge is the second Browns Pro Bowl player to undergo surgery and be sidelined until at least training camp. The first was cornerback Joe Haden, who underwent ankle surgery in March and recently got out of his walking boot.

Dr. William Meyers, a sports hernia specialist in Philadelphia, performed Barnidge's surgery.

"He had the best doctor and he will be back and ready to go at training camp,'' Jackson said. "I'm glad that we're dealing with this now, so that we can get it behind us and get him back to where he needs to be. And me knowing him, he'll be champing at the bit way before time, but we'll slow him down and make sure he's ready to go.''

Jackson indicated the Browns are confident Barnidge, 30, will be ready for the start of the regular season.

"I don't think there's any concern if he's not going to be ready to go or anything like that,'' he said. "But it's good to get these things behind us as fast as we can.''

Barnidge, arguably the Browns best skill player last season, had been practicing with the hernia, and the medical staff was monitoring it.

He led the Browns in 2016 with 79 receptions, 1,043 receiving yards and nine TDs, which all marked career highs.

Barnidge's nine receiving TDs tied Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome (1979) for the most by a Browns tight end in a season. Among NFL tight ends last season, he finished third in receiving average (13.2), third in receiving yards, tied for second in third-down receptions (24), third in 25-yard receptions (nine), fourth in receptions and tied for fourth in touchdowns.

Despite an opportunity to hit the free agent market after his breakout season, Barnidge signed a three-year contract extension in December worth $12.3 million, including $3.25 million guaranteed and a $4.1 million average.

In January, he was added to the Pro Bowl roster in place New England's Rob Gronkowski. Barnidge's eventful offseason included a trip to Egypt with his American Football without Barriers foundation. There, in addition to teaching football to disadvantaged kids, he's climb the Pyramids with other NFL players.

"It was awesome,'' he said in April. "I had a great trip.''

Barnidge had no regrets about staying even as he watched some of the Browns top players, including Alex Mack, Mitchell Schwartz and Travis Benjamin, leave in free agency.

"When I signed my deal, I signed it because I said I wanted to be here when we make the change and turn things around,'' he said. "I still believe we are going to do that."

Like the rest of the players on offense, Barnidge is excited to play in Jackson's high-powered offense.

"He's very energetic, which is awesome,'' said Barnidge. "It's going to be a fun atmosphere to be around. Everybody is going to get an opportunity in this offense. That's the good thing about it. Everybody is going to get a chance to be showcased. It is going to be a lot of fun. It is going to make it tough on the defenses."

Barnidge, a ninth-year pro, is by far the Browns' premier tight end. Others at the position are second-year pro E.J. Bibbs; 2015 sixth-round pick Randall Telfer, who sat out all of last season after undergoing foot surgery; first-year pro Connor Hamlett out of Oregon State; fourth-round pick Seth DeValve out of Princeton; and rookie J.P Holtz out of Pittsburgh.

Of the six, Barnidge is the only one with more than one NFL catch.