The Cleveland Browns have been dealing with coronavirus issues in their own locker room for the past two weeks and that affected the lineup Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, even in the win.
Joel Bitonio missed the game and Cleveland had to play Michael Dunn in his place. Dunn and the attacking line put forward their end of the bargain, but the unsolicited rookie hurt his calf late in the game.
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Blake Hance, who joined the Browns’ roster just earlier this week and never played in an NFL game, turned in late for Dunn and kept fullback Baker Mayfield away from the Steelers defenders. Mayfield was not sacked the entire game.
Hance did not even get a chance to train with Mayfield due to the team’s coronavirus problems, which closed their facility.
The third-year quarterback told NBC’s Michelle Tafoya after the game that he did not know who Hance was and had met him in the locker room just before the game.
“We had Michael Dunn join the left-back for Joel Bitonio, and then Michael got hurt and a man named Blake, whom I literally introduced in the locker room before the game, performed in the fourth quarter,” Mayfield said. .
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Peter King documented Hance’s arrival and the Browns issues in Monday’s Football Morning in America column.
Cleveland signed Hance off before the Week 17 game in the New York Jets’ practice squad. According to King, Hance had to be within driving distance of Cleveland and already be in a regular Test program with an NFL team. Due to the health and safety protocols of the coronavirus, a player who has signed with a new team has to test negative for five consecutive days and Hance has already tested negative earlier in the day.
Hance arrived at the team hotel and, according to Keynum, immediately recognized the Browns backup. The two were previously on the Washington Football Team.
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“It’s very much a 2020 story,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry told King.