Category Archives: Browns

Browns: Hooper, Teller, Phillips out vs. Raiders

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The Cleveland Browns will be without three key players as they face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 8.

Week 8 will be a lot like Week 7 for the Cleveland Browns in the injury department. Austin Hooper, Wyatt Teller, and Jacob Phillips will all miss their matchup at home against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Hooper, Teller, and Phillips all missed the Browns matchup with the Bengals last week. Cleveland was able to rely on some others to step up and they certainly did. Harrison Bryant put on a performance that earned Rookie of the Week honors from Pro Football Focus. B.J. Goodson intercepted a pass early in the game which kept Joe Burrow and the Bengals off the scoreboard early.

With the bye week after Week 8 it is understandable why the team is being careful when it comes to these players in particular. The Browns are a team that is in the mix for the playoffs and it is about the big picture. With taking it easy this week they will get more time to rest in hopes that they will be fully healthy in Week 10 when they play the Houston Texans. After that it will all be about the playoff push, which if things go well is in the realm of possibilities for this team.

Myles Garrett is AFC Defensive Player of the Month

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The Cleveland Browns defensive end has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month.

Myles Garrett has had been very productive during the month of October and he has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month.

Garrett has 14 total tackles (11 solo) during the month of October, 4 of these tackles have been for a loss. What propelled Garrett being named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month was his 6 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 8 quarterback hits.

The performance of Myles Garrett is a big reason why the Cleveland Browns are 5-2. Cleveland’s defense has been able to take advantage of opportunities leading to turnovers. Garrett has been a driving force and is leading the charge for the Browns on the defensive side of the ball.

KhaDarel Hodge designated to return from IR

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The Cleveland Browns receiver has been designated to return from injured reserve after missing the previous four games.

KhaDarel Hodge is back after being out since Week 3 with a hamstring injury. The Cleveland Browns designated Hodge to return from injured reserve.

Hodge has 3 receptions for 51 yards in his second season in Cleveland. Interestingly enough this is about one-third of his career production 9 receptions, 144 yards).

In his three games this season KhaDarel Hodge appeared in 55% or more of the Browns offensive snaps. Cleveland is going to Hodge to step up (along with others) in order to make up for the loss of Odell Beckham Jr. The Browns coaching staff has shown that they like Hodge and it is more than possible that he steps into a more prominent role.

Harrison Bryant is PFF Rookie of the Week

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Pro Football Focus has named the Cleveland Browns tight end as their Rookie of the Week following his performance in Week 7.

The Cleveland Browns needed Harrison Bryant to step up in Week 7 with Austin Hooper sidelined. Bryant did just that as he caught 4 passes for 56 yards and 2 touchdowns. This performance was good enough to be named the Rookie of the Week by Pro Football Focus.

What Sunday showed is that Harrison Bryant is far and away the best tight end on the roster. There is still room to grow and develop, but it will not be long before he ends up as Cleveland’s starter. Bryant is able to catch passes consistently and is not a liability in the blocking department. These are the two things that tight ends are expected to excel at and he does, unlike a certain other tight end on the roster. Through seven games Bryant has 12 receptions for 126 yards and 3 touchdowns, the future is appears bright for the Browns rookie.

Baker Mayfield AFC Offensive Player of the Week

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The Cleveland Browns quarterback has been named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week following his performance in Week 7.

Baker Mayfield had quite the stat line in Cleveland’s 37-34 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Mayfield completed 22 of 28 passes for 297 yards with 5 touchdowns, resulting in the Browns quarterback being named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

This is the second time that the quarterback has earned the award. The last time Baker Mayfield was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week it was also against Cincinnati. Week 16 of 2018 saw Mayfield go 27-37 for 284 yards and 3 touchdowns en route to a 26-18 victory. Cleveland will hope that their quarterback is able to build upon this success moving forward and will be able to have string together multiple games playing at this level. Although, that may become difficult after losing Odell Beckham Jr. to a season ending injury.

The Browns, Baker Mayfield, and Odell Beckham Jr.

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With OBJ out for the year, a discussion about his fit with the quarterback and the team can now take place.

The Cleveland Browns will be without the services of Odell Beckham Jr. for the rest of the year due to his season ending injury. By now everyone has heard/seen the numbers of quarterback Baker Mayfield with and without Beckham on the field, prompting an important discussion that needs to take place. The discussion?

Whether or not Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr. are actually compatible.

Let’s get this out of the way first. The Cleveland Browns are a better team with Odell Beckham Jr. What is also true is that Baker Mayfield has performed better when Beckham is not in the mix.

As Andrew Siciliano stated above, the Browns are not a better team without Beckham. Being without OBJ also does not necessarily mean that Mayfield is a better quarterback. It means that Mayfield plays better when he is not on the field. Mayfield’s performance with/without Beckham is not indicative of his talent level, this is a fact. This is simply about play calls without Beckham appear to be catered to Mayfield’s strengths rather than when he is on the field. There is also the question about whether or not Mayfield or the offense is forcing the ball to Beckham. This has been a recurring subject and no matter what they say everything indicates that this has been the case.

What the Browns are going to need to ask themselves is whether or not the Baker Mayfield-Odell Beckham Jr. dynamic can actually work. If they find themselves in a situation where they have to choose it would be quite the predicament. Do they keep the average quarterback with obvious flaws or the superstar wide receiver who has a growing injury history. Both players are not strangers to off the field episodes, so that is a wash. The front office is going to have to weigh the pros and cons of both and what direction they want to go in. The success the team has the rest of the season will without a doubt play a factor in any possible decision the team makes.

Browns to be without Wyatt Teller and Jacob Phillips

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The Cleveland Browns will be without their starting right guard and rookie linebacker as they face the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Cleveland Browns have named more players who will not participate this Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Wyatt Teller and Jacob Phillips will join Austin Hooper as players listed as out.

This will be the second straight missed game for Teller and fourth overall for Phillips. The Browns are able to use Chris Hubbard in Teller’s absence and the grab bag that is Cleveland’s linebacker group will continue to hold down the fort.

The loss of Teller is more significant than Phillips. Teller has been excellent this season and has thrived in the offensive scheme deployed by head coach Kevin Stefanski. Phillips has been more than fine during this limited action this season, but the reality is losing Teller will have a much larger impact than Phillips. The Browns defense does not rely on linebacker play which allows defensive coordinator Joe Woods to be able to navigate his way through the injuries to this group.

Browns: Austin Hooper out Sunday

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The Cleveland Browns will be without their number one tight end as they take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7.

Austin Hooper will be out this Sunday when the Cleveland Browns take on the Cincinnati Bengals. Head coach Kevin Stefanski stated that Hooper has appendicitis and will need an appendectomy. This will keep the Browns starting tight end out of action Sunday and there is no timetable for a return.

Hooper has 22 receptions this season for 205 yards and 1 touchdown this season. After a bit of a slow start, Hooper has seen an uptick in production with 15 receptions for 143 yards and his lone touchdown coming in the last three games.

The Browns will have turn to Harrison Bryant and David Njoku for at least this week. If Cleveland wants a third tight end to use Stephen Carlson is an option as well. Bryant should slide into Hooper’s role with Njoku possibly doing something noteworthy. Njoku has not done all that much this season and there are reports he has requested a trade. While Njoku commented on them, he did not deny the fact he requested a trade. Perhaps Njoku can surprise many and put up a good performance against Cincinnati, allowing the Browns to flip him for something of value.

Jarvis Landry playing with broken rib

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The Cleveland wide receiver is playing through a broken rib that he suffered during the Browns win over the Indianapolis Colts.

If there is one thing that everyone knows about Jarvis Landry it is that he is extremely tough. That toughness has been put to the test as Landry is currently playing with a broken rib. Landry stated that “It hurts” when he met with the media Thursday.

Playing through a broken rib is obviously not fun, but that will not stop Jarvis Landry. Landry is yet to miss a game in his seven-year career, even though he probably should have missed more than a few games last season. Toughness can go a long way, but it is important to make sure that an injury is not impacting play on the field. It is also important to make sure that an injury does not become worse by playing through it.

Jarvis Landry has 24 receptions for 319 yards in six games this season. Landry is currently on pace for a career-low in receptions and his second-lowest receiving yardage total in a season. The last time Landry finished with fewer than 976 yards receiving was his rookie season in Miami (758). Landry’s production in the passing game trending back in the right direction would be a welcome sight for a Browns passing attach that has not been great this season.

Wyatt Teller unlikely to play vs. Bengals

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The Cleveland Browns are likely to be without their starting right guard for the second straight game when they take on the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday.

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski provided an update about their offensive line and it was not good. Stefanski stated that it is unlikely that Wyatt Teller will play Sunday, resulting in Chris Hubbard starting at right guard for the second consecutive game.

Chris Hubbard is a capable backup, but he is no Wyatt Teller. Teller has been excellent in the new offensive scheme in Cleveland. The combination of Stefanski’s scheme and the coaching from Bill Callahan has led to productive results from Teller.

The Browns offense should be able to get back on track when they face the Bengals Sunday. Teller’s absence will just make that a bit more difficult. Production from the running game may have to be engineered just a bit differently in order to have an impact against Cincinnati.