After having a whopping 18 players on their injury report yesterday, the Cleveland Browns are down to 14 ahead of their Sunday matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Off the list are WR Amari Cooper, DE Za’Darius Smith, OG Joel Bitonio, and LB Anthony Walker Jr. All had rest days yesterday.
The Browns also had four players return to practice who still had an injury designation. Those are S Grant Delpit (shoulder/rest), who practiced in a limited capacity, OT Dawand Jones (knee), who was also limited, along with TE David Njoku (rest/knee). OG Wyatt Teller (ankle) didn’t practice yesterday but was a full-go today.
Cleveland had three players remain out of practice today, with WR Marquise Goodwin (concussion), FS Juan Thornhill (calf) and OLB Matthew Adams (personal) not logging any reps on either Wednesday or Thursday. Cleveland did get good news with CB Denzel Ward (neck) practicing in full today after being limited on Wednesday. CB Greg Newsome II (groin) was also elevated from limited to full today.
WR David Bell (knee) remained limited, as did DE Ogbo Okoronkwo, who’s battling a groin injury. DE Alex Wright (knee) was limited yesterday but was a full participant today for Cleveland. Both OG Michael Dunn (calf) and RB Pierre Strong Jr. (hamstring) practiced in full for the second day in a row.
The Browns look a lot healthier today than they did yesterday, but the big question is going to be the availability of Jones. If the rookie can’t go, the Browns are likely going to rely on James Hudson at right tackle against T.J. Watt. Jones has filled in well for Jack Conklin, who’s out for the season, but the status of his knee injury looms large for Cleveland. It is a good sign for the Browns that he was able to get on the field today.
Ward going in full today was expected, but it’s a very good sign for Cleveland as he’s the team’s best cornerback and one of the best in the league. Sunday is going to be a big test for Pittsburgh’s offense against a stout Cleveland defense, and we’ll see how the Steelers respond to the test. The Browns are looking to move to 7-3 and keep their playoff hopes alive after losing QB Deshaun Watson for the season due to shoulder surgery.
You can also check out Pittsburgh’s injury report below:
