Jarvis Landry, Austin Hooper Among 8 Browns Players Added to Reserve/COVID-19 List
December 14, 2021
The Cleveland Browns were placed in the NFL's enhanced mitigation protocols regarding COVID-19 on Tuesday.
According to ESPN's Jake Trotter, that means team meetings will be virtual Tuesday, and all players, coaches and personnel at the team facility will have to wear masks. Trotter also noted Tuesday's walkthrough practice will be closed to the media.
Josina Anderson of USA Today reported Tuesday that the Browns returned some positive COVID-19 tests.
The Browns didn't specify who tested positive, but the team did announce Jarvis Landry, Austin Hooper, Drew Forbes, Wyatt Teller, Takkarist McKinley and Jedrick Willis have all been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Tight end David Njoku, punter Jamie Gillan and linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. all missed Sunday's 24-22 win over the Baltimore Ravens after being placed on the list.
Per Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that he was unsure of the status of those players for Saturday's upcoming game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Ridenour also reported the Browns were placed in enhanced COVID-19 protocols one time previously this season.
That occurred when running backs Nick Chubb, Demetric Felton and John Kelly, as well as practice-squad players Lawrence Cager and Bryan Mills were placed on the COVID list before the Browns' Nov. 14 game against the New England Patriots.
Cleveland went on to lose that game 45-7, marking its most lopsided defeat of the season.
Saturday's game is a significant one for the Browns, as their win over Baltimore put them back in the thick of the AFC playoff race.
In addition to being in the mix for a potential wild-card spot at 7-6, the Browns are now back in the AFC North divisional race as well.
Cleveland is tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for second place in the division, just one game behind the Ravens.
With Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson nursing an ankle sprain that knocked him out of Sunday's game, Baltimore appears vulnerable and the division could be there for the taking.
Cleveland has a tough schedule down the stretch with the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Bengals still to come, but a win over the Raiders would go a long way toward putting the Browns in position to return to the postseason for the second successive year.