Berea, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Safety Damarious Randall returned from practice Wednesday after missing the previous two games due to a concussion suffered in a 43-13 Week 1 loss to Tennessee.
Randall was cleared Tuesday from the NFL’s concussion protocol and he offered no details as to what happened or when to prompt the medical staff to place him in the protocol.
“No comment,” Randall, who added he started feeling better the next day, said. “I was just placed in concussion protocol on Friday. I went that Friday before the Jets game, and I just went into protocol then.”
The situation is perplexing considering that Randall said regarding concussions that, “I’ve had one in my life” and he wasn’t referring to the one he was just cleared from.
As for Randall’s symptoms, he declined to discuss the situation.
“The symptoms were concussion protocol, I guess. I was placed in the protocol, and that is really all I have to say about it,” Randall said.
“I’m just happy to be back out there with my team, the guys that I went through camp with, the guys that I’ve been here with, and just ready to get back to war with them and just kind of looking forward to this week,” Randall said.
Randall being back is the good news. The bad: the rest of the secondary remains sidelined.
“We are playing it day by day with a lot of them,” head coach Freddie Kitchens said Wednesday morning.
Starting cornerbacks Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams along with safety Morgan Burnett remain sidelined.
Ward, Williams and rookie corner Sheldrick Redwine all suffered hamstring injuries during practice last Friday. Burnett remains idle with a quadriceps injury.
Missing link? – Rashard Higgins continues to be limited in practice with a knee injury that has kept him out of the last two games.
Mayfield and Higgins established a strong rapport during training camp in 2018 and the receiver has become one of Mayfield’s favorite targets, but Damion Ratley has stepped in and caught five passes for 76 yards combined the last two weeks.
“Obviously, anytime you lose a guy that I had chemistry with, it is tough, but I think Damion has played great,” Mayfield said. “Obviously, he had a few catches last week – some big catches, third down. I think he has done his job, and that is what we ask everybody to do, whoever is playing.”
Is Higgins a missing link for Mayfield?
“Higgins has played a lot of football and has played a lot of football with Baker,” Kitchens said. “He has played a lot of football in this offense. Again, it is whoever shows up. That is who we are going with and there are never any excuses. At the end of the day, we did not have our starting secondary the other night and we went toe-to-toe with one of the better offenses in the league. It is just know what to do, know when to do and know how to do, and we will put ourselves in position to win.”
IR updates – Tight end David Njoku elected to not have surgery on his broken right wrist while it remains undecided whether or not linebacker Christian Kirksey will have surgery the team said.
Njoku and Kirksey suffered their injuries in the 23-3 win over the Jets in New York Sept. 16. Both players were placed on injured reserve late last week and are eligible to return Week 12 against Miami on Nov. 24 should either or both be designated to return from IR in the coming weeks.
Injury report – DNP: CB Denzel Ward (hamstring), CB Greedy Williams (hamstring), S Morgan Burnett (quadriceps), S Sheldrick Redwine (hamstring), RT Chris Hubbard (foot), DT Devaroe Lawrence (not injury related), T Kendall Lamm (knee)
Limited: LG Joel Bitonio (abdomen), WR Rashard Higgins (knee), LB Adarius Taylor (ankle)
Full: WR Odell Beckham Jr. (hip), LS Charley Hughlett (shoulder), S Damarious Randall (concussion), K Austin Seibert (hip)
