Myles Garrett tossed a protective covering on his right wrist to the ground and practiced without it. (TLOD)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Takeaways from Browns interviews and practice …
The Browns still are not ruling out center JC Tretter from the season opener in Baltimore on Sept. 13.
“The prudent thing would be to wait until next week to really check in to say whether he is going to make it to that first game or not,” coach Kevin Stefanski said.
Tretter has not been on the field since undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on a knee on Aug. 13, the day before training camp opened.
What’s more, Tretter ended the last four weeks of the 2019 season practicing sparingly after suffering an injury to the knee in the second Pittsburgh game in Heinz Field on Dec. 1. He did not leave the game but he appeared on the injury report the next week.
Prior to Game 13 against Cincinnati, Tretter did not practice one day and was limited for two days. Prior to Game 14 against Arizona, he did not practice two days and was limited for one. Prior to Game 15 against Baltimore, Tretter did not practice two days and was limited for one. Prior to Game 16 against Cincinnati, Tretter was limited for three days.
Nevertheless, Tretter answered the bell for every game and was one of two Browns’ offensive linemen to play all 1,066 snaps on offense last year. The other was left guard Joel Bitonio.
In 2018, Tretter suffered a high ankle sprain in the eighth game of the season. He did not practice the rest of the year, but played every game and every offensive snap for the season.
Playing through injury during a season is one thing. But walking onto the field without practicing all training camp – after having practiced sparingly the last quarter of the previous season – may be quite another.
“But if anybody can do it, [Tretter can],” Bitonio said. “He has done it the last few years where he has not practiced with high ankle sprains and things of that nature, and he has come into the games and he has been really mentally sharp. That is something that we are not worried about. I know he has been pushing himself. He is here every day just trying to get back and get ready for Week 1.”
Bitonio said Tretter has been in every meeting during camp and watches every practice on his iPad.
“I know mentally he is going to be ready to play, if he is ready to go physical. That is not going to be an obstacle,” Bitonio said.
Tretter was not on the field on Tuesday. The Browns essentially have six hard practices over the last 12 days before the opener. If Tretter is in the lineup in Baltimore, it would be a minor miracle.
In Tretter’s place, rookie fifth-round draft pick Nick Harris has taken virtually every snap with the No. 1 offensive line.
“He has done some good things, and I am sure Baltimore has something for us that we have not seen that we will have to adjust to on the sideline,” Bitonio said of Harris. “We are getting there, and we have two weeks now to really ramp it up mentally for Baltimore.”
Garrett returns
Other key players whose status for Baltimore is uncertain are cornerback Greedy Williams (shoulder) and cornerback Kevin Johnson (liver). Stefanski had no update on either.
Safety Grant Delpit (Achilles) is out for the year and linebacker Mack Wilson (knee) is out for another four to six weeks. The good news for Wilson is he won’t need surgery on his hyperextended knee, Stefanski confirmed.
Defensive end Myles Garrett returned and participated in the full pads practice. Garrett missed Sunday’s practice in FirstEnergy Stadium with a wrist injury. On Tuesday, Garrett began his work day with a bulky protective covering strapped to his right wrist. After a few minutes, he ripped it off and tossed it to the ground and participated in individual drills without it.
Take a bow
Tight end Harrison Bryant was voted the Maurice Bassett Award given to the outstanding rookie of training camp.
Bryant won the John Mackey Award at Florida Atlantic University last year and was drafted in the fourth round. He has made a lot of catches repping on the first team as the second tight end next to Austin Hooper.
“Harrison has done a nice job,” Stefanski said. “To his credit, he really, really is a diligent worker, a student of this game. We moved him around the formation and moved him to different positions, and he has not missed a beat.”
Bryant said his mindset coming into his first training camp was to focus on the fundamentals of run-blocking and the intricacies of the routes in Stefanski’s tight end-heavy offense.
He played offensive tackle in high school, but at 6-5 and 230, he’s giving up 40-50 pounds to NFL defensive ends.
“Obviously, every day during camp, going against extremely talented defense ends, D-linemen and a great linebacking corps, it is challenging every day, and I am just looking to continue to improve in that aspect of my game,” Bryant said.