Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski: Close contacts on track to practice Thursday for Steelers game
Coach Kevin Stefanski is optimistic the Browns will, for the most part, have their roster restored in time for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Starting wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Rashard Higgins and the other Browns players who were forced to sit out Sunday's 23-16 loss to the New York Jets because they were identified as high-risk close contacts of starting linebacker B.J. Goodson have continued to test negative for the virus, Stefanski said Monday on Zoom.
As long as they continue to test negative, they will be available to practice Thursday, Stefanski said, and play when the Browns (10-5) host the Pittsburgh Steelers (12-3) at 1 p.m. Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.
The Browns would clinch their first playoff berth since 2002 with a bounce-back win. They have yet to lose consecutive games with Stefanski, a first-year head coach.
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"This team’s been resilient, and that’s going to be required moving forward," he said. "That’s what it takes this season. So I give a ton of credit to the players. They get it. They own whatever happened the week before — win, lose or draw — they try to learn from it and they move on."
Stefanski said rookie left tackle Jedrick Wills, who didn't face the Jets (2-13) because he's dealing with an illness, has continued to test negative, too.
The Browns will resume practice Wednesday, and Stefanski said he is "hopeful" starting right guard Wyatt Teller (ankle) will be able to participate then in an effort to play Sunday. Teller has missed the past two games.
Rookie Nick Harris started in place of Teller on Sunday because key backup Chris Hubbard suffered a season-ending knee injury in last week's 20-6 win over the New York Giants. Kendall Lamm started in place of Wills.
With the drastic changes on the offensive line and in the receiving corps, quarterback Baker Mayfield found himself behind the eight ball against the Jets. He fumbled three times, losing two on strip-sacks and the other on a QB sneak resulting in the game-clinching turnover on downs with 1:18 left to play.
Mayfield went 28-of-53 passing (52.8%) for 285 yards without a touchdown or interception and a rating of 68.5. He took four sacks.
The running game virtually disappeared (18 carries, 45 yards, 2.5 average, and two touchdowns).
"The plan was not to throw it that often," Stefanski said. "In the second half, that’s kind of where the game went as we were moving the ball, and we got into two-minute [mode] at the end of the first half.
"So we felt confident in the plan. We felt confident in the tight ends, the running backs. I thought the wide receivers acquitted themselves just fine, and we just didn’t make enough plays. But you go into it with a plan, and you’ve got to be ready to pivot and adapt based on what they’re giving you."
Goodson tested positive for the virus on Saturday and won't be able to face the Steelers.
Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi revealed he spoke with Goodson and explained the linebacker "gets that fire going" as the signal caller of the defense.
"You're missing one of your key pieces, but he wouldn't want us to fall off just because he's gone," Ogunjobi said. "You can't do that.
"He's feeling better. It sucks. It's just a rough situation. I know where his heart's at. I know where his mind's at. ... We love him. We're just going to keep going."
The Browns' top four wide receivers — Landry, Higgins, rookie Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge — and rookie linebacker Jacob Phillips were deemed close contacts later in the day. They all landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list and couldn't face the Jets.
The close contacts of Goodson were recently in the team's recovery pool area with him, and the NFL had a video showing at least one of those players wasn't wearing a mask correctly during another interaction, a source said, confirming an NFL Network report.
“I'm not going to get into specifics," Stefanski said, "but it's something that I definitely have addressed with the team, addressed with those players, and we absolutely have to learn from this.”
What have the Browns learned?
"This thing's serious, and it can happen just like that," Ogunjobi said, snapping his fingers. "The day before a game, you lose a good amount of players.
"You have to continue to check your teammates, check yourself, look yourself in the mirror, see what you're doing and be more preventative, more mindful of the situation."
Stefanski said the Browns signing wideout Alexander Hollins off the practice squad of the Minnesota Vikings on Monday doesn't mean Cleveland has reason to believe one of the receivers listed as a close contact won't be back.
Stefanski was asked whether he and his staff will form two versions of the game plan this week — one factoring in the return of the primary receivers and another in case they aren't cleared.
“I mean, listen, I'm hopeful, obviously, but we'll hedge our bets and have a contingency plan should we not (get those players back)," Stefanski said. "But the good news is we have today, tomorrow, Wednesday to plan.”