Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine is adamant that running back Ben Tate is not injury prone.

Tate struggled to stay on the field at times during his four-year spell with the Houston Texans, but Pettine has insisted that the 25-year-old's problems with freak incidents after he signed a two-year deal with the Browns are not a cause of frustration.

Pettine told reporters: "I don't have any issues with his durability. He had a couple of things. Here's a guy that had four broken ribs and played through it. It wasn't until he had the fifth one broken that he couldn't go anymore. He broke an ankle.

"To me, that more of a freak thing than anything else, but it's not like there are just chronic injuries there and anytime you bring in a guy that's got a chip on his shoulder, that's going to be in your favour."

Tate rushed for 771 yards and four touchdowns in the 2013 season.