Berea, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Right tackle Chris Hubbard returned to practice Thursday after a foot injury kept him from Sunday night’s 20-13 loss to the Rams, but he was limited.
“It was good to get Hub back on a limited basis today at right tackle,” head coach Freddie Kitchens said Thursday afternoon. “I do not know yet if he is going to make it [to play Sunday], but he did show some progress so that is a good sign.”
Kitchens is holding out hope Hubbard will be able to go against the Ravens Sunday in Baltimore.
“He will probably be a game time decision,” Kitchens said.
If Hubbard isn’t available, Kitchens will continue to deploy Justin McCray at right tackle in his place but the head coach admitted they’re playing with fire at tackle because of injuries.
“We kind of are, but that is the reason the position is so critical,” Kitchens said. “We have got a plan for it if anything happens. You always have to have a plan, and we have a plan. You do not expect it to happen the first game so we had to maneuver at that point, also. Those guys did an excellent job of being prepared from a knowledge standpoint. Same thing would happen.”
Pick me up – After the Browns failed to score from the four-yard line in the final minute Sunday night, receiver Jarvis Landry had a message for Kitchens: “We’re going to be a great team.”
It was the same thing he said to Cleveland.com in the locker room after the 20-13 loss.
“I just think the emotions of how that game ended and having four opportunities from the 4-yard line and not getting it done, I think that’s discouraging in a sense for anybody,” Landry said Thursday. “I think as a team we were in situations like this last year and we learned a lot about ourselves in those moments. This was a moment that I kinda took a step back and just was like, ‘This was one of those things that’s can catapult us to something different, something new.’ That’s why I really mentioned it to him.”
Kitchens’ response? “We’re going to get you the ball.’ It’s about getting guys the ball and making plays,” Landry said.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield looked for Landry on first and second down from the four but failed to connect. On third down, Mayfield threw to tight end Demetrius Harris in the back of the end zone instead of to Landry, who had his man beat on a slant at the goal line.
“Things happen. We learn from things. Everybody feels responsible for the loss,” Landry said. “We are a team. One person should not be able to take blame or feel like it is solely on them. It is something about the characteristics about the guys that we have in here to put that onus on themselves and that responsibility.”
Since the Browns acquired the receiver from Miami in March 2018 following an 0-16 season and the worst three-year stretch for a team in modern NFL history, Landry has made it his mission to change the culture within the locker room and organization.
One of the ways Landry is leading is by not allowing a difficult loss to snowball into internal strife and frustration.
“Last week was promising in a sense,” Landry said. “Obviously we want to get the ‘W,’ but it showed us a lot about our team and the guys that we have. We had a lot of guys banged up, a lot of guys playing out of position and still making plays and we still had a chance.”
Hollywood down – Receiver Rashard Higgins doesn’t appear ready to return from a knee injury suffered in Week 1.
“Higgins is kind of day to day,” Kitchens said. “We will see how it feels [Friday].”
Higgins, who has participated – at least on a limited basis – in practice since, sat out Thursday’s practice lessoning the chances that he’ll be ready to return this week.
“He had not done anything significant since a couple weeks – significant enough,” Kitchens said.
Best in the biz – Browns special teams coordinator Mike Priefer had high praise for Ravens kicker Justin Tucker.
“I think Justin Tucker is the best kicker in the game right now, and he has been for years,” Priefer said. “He makes pretty much everything. Their offense crosses the 30-40-yard line, it is almost automatic.”
Tucker has made all 16 kicks this season – five field goals and 11 PATs – and he has a career percentage of 90.3, including making 39 of 55 from 50 yards or more since 2012.
Friends and family – Priefer bought 14 tickets for his son, who is attending the Naval Academy, and his friends to attend Sunday’s game in Baltimore. He asked for 20, his wife wanted to buy just 10 and they settled on 14.
“[There’s] going to be some rowdy midshipmen up cheering for the Cleveland Browns during the game, probably up in the nosebleed seats on Sunday afternoon,” Priefer said.
Injury report – DNP: CB Denzel Ward (hamstring), CB Greedy Williams (hamstring), S Morgan Burnett (quadriceps), S Sheldrick Redwine (hamstring), T Kendall Lamm (knee), WR Rashard Higgins (knee)
Limited: LG Joel Bitonio (abdomen), RT Chris Hubbard (foot), LB Adarius Taylor (ankle)
Full: WR Odell Beckham Jr. (hip), LS Charley Hughlett (shoulder), S Damarious Randall (concussion), K Austin Seibert (hip), DT Devaroe Lawrence (not injury related)
