CLEVELAND — The Browns are trying to shake free from COVID-19 to face the Steelers.
It hasn’t been easy.
Cleveland’s issues with the virus intensified Thursday as top cornerback Denzel Ward and linebacker Malcolm Smith were placed on the COVID-19 reserve list and the team was forced to close its facility before cancelling practice with the franchise’s biggest game in decades coming fast.
Ward’s surprising addition — he’ll miss Sunday’s game — has further impacted preparations for Pittsburgh. If they win, the Browns (10-5) will make the playoffs for the first time since 2002 and end the NFL’s longest current playoff drought.
But the Browns will now be missing their best defensive back and at least two other defensive starters. And with kickoff a few days away and the virus seemingly not under control, it’s possible Cleveland could be down even more players.
To this point, the game will go on as scheduled, according to an NFL spokesman. The league is closely monitoring the Browns’ situation and overseeing standard contact tracing.
While Ward is lost for at least this week, the Browns did get back star Jarvis Landry and three other receivers who missed last week’s game. Rookie linebacker Jacob Phillip was also activated.
After waiting several hours for permission from the league to re-open their building, the Browns announced that it would remain closed throughout New Year’s Eve for the "health and well-being of our players, coaches and staff."
The Browns will continue to work remotely and are hoping to be back in their headquarters on Friday for practice. They’ve only practiced for an hour on the field so far this week.
Moments after they announced the continued shutdown of their offices in Berea, Ohio, the team said Ward, who recently returned after missing several games with a calf injury, was being placed on the COVID list. Not only will he miss the Steelers game, but he could also be out of Cleveland’s first-round playoff matchup — assuming the Browns get there.
On Wednesday, the Browns practiced for an hour indoors and coach Kevin Stefanski expressed confidence the team would be ready for its biggest game in years.
"We were able to bring the guys in," he said. "Had a nice long individual period, had walkthroughs, had some team periods and had some seven on seven. It was brisk. Obviously, we were without a few guys for various reasons so at times, it was piecing it together to give a look for the offence, defence or vice versa."
Ward must sit out Sunday — league rules require a player to miss 10 days after testing positive — along with Smith, linebacker B.J. Goodson, safety Andrew Sendejo and tight end Harrison Bryant.
Those losses will test Cleveland’s depth, but they Browns could get some help as Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is resting several starters, including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and perhaps Defensive MVP candidate T.J. Watt. Roethlisberger is 23-2-1 in his career against Cleveland.
However, the rival Steelers (12-3), who beat the Browns 38-7 in October and clinched the AFC North last week, won’t hand out any free passes.
"We want to make sure we give Cleveland all they want," said Pittsburgh defensive co-ordinator Kevin Butler. "We’re not going to let them walk into the playoffs."
It’s been a taxing few days for the Browns, who didn’t win a game three years ago, but have turned things around under Stefanski.
Last weekend, after a positive test led to players being ruled out because of high-risk close contact with Goodson, the Browns were missing eight rotational players, including their top four wide receivers, and lost 23-16 to the New York Jets.
Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge were cleared for practice Thursday and their return will be a huge boost for quarterback Baker Mayfield, who was throwing to players pulled off the practice squad hours before kickoff against the Jets.
The Browns were getting ready to leave for the New York area on Saturday when Goodson’s test came back positive. After the league reviewed video inside the facility, the four receivers were ruled out as close contacts after the group had gathered in the tub recovery area — a lapse in virus guidelines.
Cleveland also has an unidentified assistant coach who tested positive this week.
[relatedlinks]
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.