Kevin Stefanski has been through this drill before and remains unfazed from losing eight players due to COVID. (Cleveland Browns)
Browns COVID outbreak could be a galvanizing factor with playoffs on the line
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Takeaways from another COVID-19 outbreak hitting the Browns …
In the NFL, it’s beginning to look a lot like … 2020.
Yes, it was a special year for the Browns. But it was also one riddled with unique challenges caused by multiple COVID-19 outbreaks.
And here we go again.
At the beginning of a short week to prepare for another must-win game with playoff hopes hanging in the balance, the Browns were dealt a major blow when eight more players tested positive for COVID-19, probably sidelining them for the Saturday game against the Raiders.
The offensive line was hit hardest.
Placed on the COVID/reserve list were left tackle Jedrick Wills and right guard Wyatt Teller, along with receiver Jarvis Landry, tight end Austin Hooper, defensive end Takk McKinley, and reserve guard Drew Forbes.
In addition, two players on the practice squad joined the COVID list – kick returner JoJo Natson and tight end Ross Travis.
These COVID casualties join tight end David Njoku, linebacker Anthony Walker and punter Jamie Gillan, who were stricken last week and still have not cleared protocols.
Unfazed as he was in leading the Browns to the playoffs amid weekly COVID casualties a year ago, coach Kevin Stefanski said, “You are without guys due to injury or otherwise, and guys step up. That is why we have a bunch of players on this team that we trust.”
Who’s lining up?
The loss of Wills and Teller, combined with previous losses of starting right tackle Jack Conklin (dislocated elbow) and sixth man Chris Hubbard (torn triceps), leave the Browns with only two starters on the offensive line – left guard Joel Bitonio and center JC Tretter.
The Browns probably will choose to play Blake Hance at left tackle, rookie James Hudson at right tackle and Michael Dunn at right guard. They will scramble to field backups for the game on Saturday.
“We will work through all of those types of things, but obviously, those are … guys who we certainly trust,” Stefanski said.
The loss of Hooper is significant because he was the only one of the original top four tight ends to play in Sunday’s playoff-reviving 24-22 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Hooper had a touchdown and five receptions.
At the same time they lose Hooper, it appears TE3 Harrison Bryant could be available. Stefanski opened his Zoom call with the positive tidbit that Bryant, who missed last week with an ankle injury, would return to practice on Wednesday, along with safety Ronnie Harrison, who missed the Ravens game also with an ankle injury.
Landry’s absence will hurt badly because the receiver position has been unproductive all season. With Anthony Schwartz still in concussion protocol, the healthy, available receivers will be Donovan Peoples-Jones, Rashard Higgins and Ja’Marcus Bradley, who was re-signed to the practice squad.
Déjà vu
Although games lost because of COVID in the NFL trailed the rate of last year, the numbers are picking up fast this season. There were 37 players who tested positive on Monday and at least that many on Tuesday. The Browns now have 11 players on the COVID list, trailing only the Rams’ 13.
“We will get our work in. That is what we do. We have done it before,” Stefanski said.
Last year, the Browns lost almost their entire receiving corps the day before a game against the New York Jets. They lost more players and three coaches, including Stefanski, and practiced on the field only one day prior to the wild-card playoff game in Pittsburgh. The adversity seemed to galvanize the Browns as they shocked the Steelers in Heinz Field with their first playoff win on the road since 1969.
“There was some kind of camaraderie in bringing us together and not really knowing who we were going to have every week and if someone was going to test positive,” said Bitonio, who missed the playoff game in Pittsburgh because of COVID. “We were testing every day last year so there was always a chance for something to pop up every day of the week. It really brought us together in certain situations.
“It is one of those things that we are in it together. I think football is a galvanizing sport as it is. A lot of people use things as motivation – each guy is kind of different – but it is one of those things. We are going to be focused on task at hand, but hopefully, this can bring us tighter together.”
