CLEVELAND, Ohio – Look, you saw the Browns lose to the Jets on Sunday less than 24 hours after losing five players, including four wide receivers, for contact detection and a sixth to a positive COVID-19 Test. Then they add Andrew Sendejo, Harrison Bryant and Karl Joseph to the reserve / COVID-19 list to start their week. Then they have to close the facility on Wednesday after a training team and coach tested positive for COVID.
So it’s reasonable to be a little overwhelmed if you’re a Browns fan staring at your team to essentially play a do-or-die game against the Steelers on Sunday.
Things can definitely go sideways for the next few days – it’s always day-to-day as far as COVID is concerned, as we learned on Saturday night. Maybe we get more news on Thursday or Friday and then it’s time to pinch your teeth a little tighter.
But for now, it may be wise to take a deep breath, because there is actually more good news than bad. Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge are on course to return Thursday. Wyatt Teller and Jedrick Wills were at practice on Wednesday. Security Ronnie Harrison has been activated.
If you take a step back and mix a big knock in the nearest wooden object you can find, things are going the right way for the Browns as they face their biggest game of the season. Their key position group, the offensive line, tends to be intact. Their recipients must be back. Their defense should get a boost with Harrison’s return.
Even Baker Mayfield found that the positives in the facility were shut down Wednesday and that players could not practice.
“It’s not as critical (to have players at practice) if it’s just Wednesday,” he said. ‘We could still get all our mental stuff during the day, and could get some physical stuff, get some timing, and we’ll have the movie so the guys can watch and watch. This is not going to affect our preparation at all. I just hope the negative tests keep coming and we can get them in the building tomorrow. ‘
Maybe this post will not age well by Thursday afternoon, but take a deep breath for now and look at the way things are going, at least for now. The Browns might just be OK.
Mary Kay Cabot, Scott Patsko and I talked about the good news the Browns have in their favor as they face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday’s Orange and Brown Talk Podcast. Next, they discuss what this game means to Baker Mayfield and do some pre- and post-work for the game.
Use the player below or click here to listen.
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