(Associated Press)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Takeaways from Browns practice and interviews …
Baker Mayfield’s sore ribs got way more press and Odell Beckham Jr.’s sideline rants got way more attention.
Overshadowed -- seemingly as always -- was Jarvis Landry, who played the Steelers game with a broken rib.
Landry had three catches for 40 yards on five targets, and was on the field for 44 of the offense’s 57 plays (77 percent), in plowing through his 102nd consecutive NFL game.
“Really, there is no one tougher on the team,” said offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. “You think about the things that he does, the injury he had and the way he still plays after the injury, hats off to him. He is made out of burlap and he is tough as nails. Definitely fortunate to have him on the team and appreciate that toughness he brings to the whole team.”
Landry disclosed on a Zoom call Thursday that he suffered a broken rib after his first catch in the Indianapolis game.
Cornerback Xavier Rhodes rammed his shoulder pads into Landry’s right side after the 32-yard catch. Landry buckled to his knees and crawled to the sideline. He returned to make four catches for 88 yards on nine targets. His two drops on short passes in the second half helped to keep the game close, and those were the two plays that would keep him from sleeping that night, Landry had said.
“It hurts,” Landry asserted, adding that the injury will not keep him from extending his playing streak to 103, and beyond.
“It is Cleveland, right? It is blue-collar. Whatever it takes. I think that we have that mindset and that mentality here,” Landry said.
Defensive hope
The Ravens made a proactive move two weeks before the NFL trade deadline by trading 2021 third- and fifth-round draft picks to Minnesota for defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. Ngakoue joins the No. 1 defense in scoring (17.3 points a game) and fills a void at edge rusher. He was traded from Jacksonville to Minnesota on Aug. 30 and can be a free agent after the season.
Last year the Ravens traded for cornerback Marcus Peters before the deadline.
The Browns are 30th in scoring defense, yielding 31.1 per game. So what are their plans for possible reinforcements?
They are most likely to rely on players already on hand coming back from injuries.
Linebacker Mack Wilson’s snap count has steadily risen the past four games from 6 to 31. Nickel back Kevin Johnson had a season-high 42 snaps in Pittsburgh after getting 41 v. Indianapolis. And Ronnie Harrison had a season-high 47 against Indianapolis before suffering a concussion. Harrison was cleared to return this week.
All three players have yet to knock off all the rust from missing time because of injuries.
“I feel like I am getting there,” Wilson said. “I am not 100 percent yet. It is something that I have been pushing myself every day to kind of get back to being me.
“It has been tough. I have days where I just kind of reflect on me last year as a player and where I am right now. With me getting hurt, I feel like I took a few steps back. Like I said, I am trying my best to get back to 100 percent so I can play more and so I can do whatever it takes to help us win.”
Wilson believes Harrison, his former teammate at Alabama, will soon be making more impact plays like the Pick 6 he had in the Colts game before his concussion.
“I was telling the guys on defense that he is going to be a big spark for us,” Wilson said. “He brings a lot of swag to the defense. It is a huge boost to have him back in the back end. I can’t wait to see how he continues to contribute to the team and continues to make plays for us.”
As for Johnson, coordinator Joe Woods said he finally has knocked off the rust of missed practice time in training camp because of a lacerated liver.
“I think he has stepped up and has played extremely well for us and will continue to get better,” Woods said.
Brownie bits
Baker Mayfield (chest, ribs) advanced to full participation in practice, but a video of the quarterback grabbing his chest after a short throw indicates he still is not 100 percent …
Running back Nick Chubb is in the third week of a reported six-week rehab from a sprained MCL in his right knee. Coach Kevin Stefanski said there is “no real substantive update other than he is progressing and he is right on schedule. I will wait until they tell me he is ready to go. I can’t speculate [on Chubb’s return], though.” …
Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow threw 61 passes in the teams’ first meeting in Game 2. With running back Joe Mixon missing the last two days of practice with a foot injury, Burrow may exceed that total on Sunday. Woods’ assessment of Burrow: “We knew he was a good quarterback just based on the plays that we saw. Seeing it at field level, he does a nice job of going through his progressions. He is not a one-look quarterback. I think they catered some of their system to what he did at LSU. You could see that from what they were doing. Overall, as we continue to watch tape, he is really doing a nice job executing their offense. I tell you what, he can take a shot, too.”