HEARTBREAKING NEWS FOR THE BROWN AS ……

January 4, 2024 Albert Valentine Cleveland Browns 0

The Cleveland Browns are hoping to use this week to get healthier for the postseason, but a handful of players were added to Thursday’s injury report as they prepare for their game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Whether those are real injuries or merely part of the Browns plan to try to get healthier is unclear at this point.

Wide Receiver Marquise Goodwin was added to the injury report with a knee issue that limited his participation. Safety Juan Thornhill is back on the injury report with a calf issue that limited his participation. Linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk did not participate, also listed with a calf. He missed a few weeks with a calf injury. Defensive tackle Shelby Harris was out with a back issue and safety Duron Harmon was limited with an ankle on Wednesday, but didn’t practice at all on Thursday. Safety Juan Thornhill was back on the injury report, limited with a calf that’s been giving him problems.

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It’s possible that these are maintenance days and this was a way to help them manage issues they’ve been dealing with and heal. If, however, these are new issues, the Browns could be further limited in a game where they are trying to get healthier. As much as the Browns would like to be able to rest their defensive tackles, they don’t have enough on the active roster to pull it off. The Browns were already playing with their back end safeties. It’s something to monitor.

Meanwhile, wide receiver Elijah Moore and edge Ogbonnia Okoronkwo both practiced again on Thursday, still limited. Left guard Joel Bitonio and wide receiver Amari Cooper, both named to the Pro Bowl Wednesday night, continued to be held out to recuperate their injuries. Tight end David Njoku, also named to the Pro Bowl, returned to practice after being ill on Wednesday, though he was limited.

Corners Mike Ford Jr. (calf) and Greg Newsome II (knee), center Ethan Pocic (shoulder, stinger), and linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. (knee) remained out with injuries. Quarterback Joe Flacco, defensive end Myles Garrett and corner Denzel Ward, none of which seem likely to play Sunday, continue to be full participants in practice this week.

For the Bengals, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase was a full participant in practice on Thursday and told local reporters that he intends to play.

The Browns flipped the script on the Ravens

Chase also had to begrudgingly show some respect to the Browns, a team he referred to as elves ahead of their week one game.

The Bengals may not have much to play for but a loss would mean an 0-6 record in the AFC North and 2-7 against the Browns in Zac Taylor’s head coaching tenure.

Meanwhile, it looks like Tee Higgins could miss what might be his final game as a Bengal with a hamstring. Running back Joe Mixon missed practice with an illness.

Both corners Chidobe Awuzie (shoulder ) and Jalen Davis (groin) remained limited on Thursday. Jake Browning was added to the injury report with a foot issue but he was a full participant.

BEREA, Ohio — There is no question that defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has helped turn the Cleveland Browns defense around in 2023 as the Browns lead the NFL in fewest yards allowed per game and fewest passing yards allowed per game.

With the Browns at 11-5 and heading to the playoffs, the success brings interest from other teams as they look to bring in successful coordinators to turn their teams around.

It is no different for the Browns as Schwartz could be at the top of a lot of teams wish list for vacant head coaching positions.

Schwartz, 57,  has been a head coach in the NFL with the Lions and there was some question that he would want to be a head coach again in the NFL. With the success of the Browns and the defense, Schwartz was asked if he would entertain being a head coach again. Schwartz had a health issue and did not coach for a couple of seasons, but returned this year to be the Browns defensive coordinator.

 

Schwartz said he was very happy being with the Browns, but left the door open if given an opportunity to be a head coach once again.

“Well, first of all, I’m really happy here,” Schwartz said Thursday. “I talked about Kevin (Stefanski). I haven’t really talked about Andrew Berry or the Haslams, but I love this organization. I love the city of Cleveland. (That was such a great atmosphere (last Thursday against the Jets).

“(In) 31 years in the NFL, that was one of my top five atmospheres that Thursday night,” he said. “We needed to share that with the players. We got a lot of energy from them. We needed to give them a little energy, pay them back. Not many chances you have to be able to clinch at home. So all that. But I’d say this, in any job that you do, you always aspire to the top of that profession. And I’m no different there.”

Schwartz was the head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2009-13, where he guided the Detroit Lions to a 29-51 record.

Going into the final regular season game, the Browns defense is No.1 in yards allowed per game (266.6), No. 1 in passing yards per game allowed per game (165.9), 10th in rushing defense (100.6) and 11th overall in points allowed per game (20.7).

Extra Points

Finishing Strong: Stefanski has said that it is important for the Browns to ‘finish strong’ this week against the Bengals, even though Stefanski said the Browns have earned the right to rest some of their starters.

“We’ve earned the ability to do this, the flexibility to do something like this,” Stefanski said on Wednesday. “We’re going to utilize it, we’re going to take advantage of it. But the guys understand that it’s important that we handle this week this week. We’ll worry about next week next week.”

The only player that Stefanski mentioned who would not play is quarterback Joe Flacco, who has gone 4-1 the last four weeks as the starting quarterback. The Browns have won games with four starting quarterbacks, including Deshaun Watson, P.J. Walker, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Flacco. It is the first time in franchise history and eighth time in the NFL since 1950. The Browns joined the 2015 Texans as the only teams to qualify for the playoffs after winning games with four starting quarterbacks and could become the first to do so with five winning games.

The 1987 Patriots are the only team to win a game with five starting quarterbacks. They went 8-7 in the strike season, but did not make the playoffs

In the four wins in a row, Flacco has thrown for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns in his five starts.

Stefanski said that he thinks Flacco and the other players that are rested will be able to stay sharp and focused.

“You still practice, you still work really hard in this building to make sure that you maintain that sharpness,” Stefanski said.

Cornerback Greg Newsome said it is important to finish strong.

“We’re still playing for pride out there, although we clinched already, so this week definitely matters for us, too,” Newsome said. “I’m going to treat this week like I’m playing and hopefully I’m out there.

“We’re hot right now and we got to continue that,” he said. ”They always say, man, you want to be hot at the right time, and I think we’re doing a great job right now. So we’re just trying to keep that momentum up.”

Regardless who plays, Stefanski said he sees it as an opportunity for players that have not had the opportunity to have a lot of playing time.

“Our full intent is to go down there, play well and get a win,” Stefanski said. “It’s a great opportunity for some guys that haven’t had a ton of playing time to get out there. Throughout the course of this season, we’ve had a lot of our depth play in these games, but this is another opportunity for some backups and some maybe younger guys to play, and it gives us an opportunity to see them compete.”

The defense has been near the top of the NFL rankings all season, despite having numerous injuries that tested the team’s depth.

Going into the final regular season game, the Browns defense is No.1 in yards allowed per game (266.6), No. 1 in passing yards per game allowed per game (165.9), 10th in rushing defense (100.6) and 11th overall in points allowed per game (20.7).

Newsome said the expectation is the same for whomever plays.

“Yeah, super important,” Newsome said. “Like Coach (Jim) Schwartz said, no matter whoever is out there, they’re setting the standard for us. I think preseason, you’ve seen that the starters weren’t playing right away, but those guys set the tone in preseason. The defense looks exactly how it looked in preseason right now. So whoever’s out there, we’re going to keep that same tone going into the playoffs.”

 

Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah said there was never any doubt the defense would be able to withstand the injuries that they did due to the standard that has been set, starting with Schwartz.

“I was like, ‘Oh, we’re still good enough'”, Owusu-Koramoah said. “I think for us, it was just like, hey, we’ve set in place a platform, we set in place a culture, a standard to which anyone who is inside of this framework has to keep that (No.’s) 1-11 as we talk about all the time.

“And I think for us, at least for the players, we’re not like, okay, we prefer this guy over this guy or this guy over another,” he said. “I think for us it’s like, are you keeping a standard? Are you doing little things that will allow us to continue to propel ourselves forward, to give the city what it’s been asking for years.”

Moore, Ogbo Practice Again: DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, returned to practice on Wednesday and practiced again on Thursday. Okoronkwo has not played after suffering a pectoral injury in early December and has missed three-straight games. Okoronkwo said he is hoping to play in the playoffs.

WR Elijah Moore practiced again on Thursday after being on the field on Wednesday on a limited basis in the concussion protocol. No word on whether Moore has been cleared from the concussion protocol or not as Stefanski does not address the media on Thursdays. Stefanski will update the status of players, in terms of game status, on Friday.

Hunt, Njoku Return to Practice, but 7 Injured Still Not Practicing: The Browns had nine players not practicing due to injury on Wednesday as they began practicing for the Bengals on Sunday, including G Joel Bitonio (oblique, knee), WR Amari Cooper (heel), CB Mike Ford (calf), K Dustin Hopkins (left hamstring), RB Kareem Hunt (groin), CB Greg Newsome (knee), TE David Njoku (illness), LB Anthony Walker (knee) and C Ethan Pocic (stinger, shoulder).

Cooper, Pocic, Bitonio, Newsome, Hopkins, Walker and Ford were not on the field on Thursday, but Hunt and Njoku returned.

 

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