BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns top ranked secondary will be without cornerback Denzel Ward Sunday in Denver while who will back up rookie Dorian Thompson Robinson remains a mystery.
Here’s our top Brownie Bites from Friday before the Browns head west.
Next man up – Ward was unable to practice this week due to a shoulder injury suffered in last week’s 13-10 win over the Steelers. “Guys got to step up,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “That's the name of this game. Don't have Denzel this week but feel confident in the guys we do have.” Ward, who has started all 10 games he’s appeared in this season, has 10 pass breakups giving him 75 since being drafted, second most in the league over that span. “I think everybody sees Denzel's playing at a high level,” Stefanski said. “Good versus the run, good versus the pass. He's a guy that I've obviously seen play a lot of football and made big plays for us. Won't have him this one, but he and I both have a lot of faith in the guys that will be out there.” The Browns are limiting opponents to a league-low 143.7 yards passing per game this season and the loss of Ward will test Cleveland’s secondary depth. “We don't ever have pressure on us,” cornerback Greg Newsome II said. “We're the best in the world and we said that before. You can ask Denzel, we don't feel like it's just three of us or four of us, or five. Our group, we're the best in the world. So obviously losing the number one cornerback in the league is obviously hard, but it's no added pressure. It's just opportunities now for other guys to step up. I've been out before. Cam Mitchell came in and played and you guys didn't even know I wasn’t on the field. So the same thing is going to happen this week. We got guys that are ready to step up.” Mike Ford Jr. is among the players that will be called upon to fill Ward’s shoes much like he did against the Ravens. “My role has always been that next man up on defense, so I have to prepare for that regardless and being the guy on special teams,” Ford, who had an interception against the Ravens in place of Ward two weeks ago, said. “So I'm going to pride myself in being prepared for that. So it doesn't change my weekly preparation, it's just more so a bigger role and just I got to accomplish it for my team.”
Standard bearers – Despite losing Jakeem grant, Jack Conklin, Nick Chubb, Deshaun Watson and Rodney McLeod for the season along with a variety of other injuries that have kept key players out of the lineup for various amounts of time, the Browns have been able to win five of six for the fifth time in the expansion era. “Standard is the standard,” defensive end Myles Garrett said. “We don't care about any weather, any altitude, we're going to play at the same level which we've been playing and if not better.” Cleveland is riding their ninth three-game win streak since 1999 and looks to tie the longest win streak in the expansion era Sunday. The team also won four straight in 2009 and twice during the 2020 season. “It just gives us a challenge and an opportunity to see how together we are as a team,” receiver Amari Cooper said. “I like our chances. I think the camaraderie, the locker room has been great, and we've been able to come together, fight, be resilient in the games, enough to win.” In years past, the season would be sunk by now, especially after losing Chubb and Watson. Not this year and not with this group of players. “It starts at know Andrew Berry and coach Stefanski,” left guard Joel Bitonio said. “They built a strong team with depth guys that come in and step in and make plays and then it speaks to guys resilience and understanding. We don't have everybody out there, but we have the right guys.”
No. 2 mystery – After signing 16-year veteran Joe Flacco to the practice squad this week, it’s unclear who the backup quarterback will be Sunday. “I'm not going to get into specifics on roster type things,” Stefanski said. The Browns could elevate Flacco three times from the practice squad before having to add him to the 53-man roster, similar to what happened with P.J. Walker earlier this season. “You bring in P.J. late, you bring in Joe late,” Stefanski said. “These guys do a really nice job of diving into the playbook, understanding their role and everything. They've done a nice job.”
Keep away – The Broncos defense has 19 takeaways this season, with 13 of those coming in the last five games, while the Browns have turned it over 20 times this season – 13 interceptions and seven lost fumbles – making ball security a priority Sunday. “That's outstanding by them,” Stefanski said. “And it's in a variety of ways. It's interceptions, it's fumbles, it's sack fumbles, it's first play – the Buffalo game, ripping the ball out of the running back's hands. So they've done a great job with getting that ball for their offense. It becomes technique. You have to be great in your technique. Whether you're the quarterback in the pocket, whether you're a receiver, a tight end, a running back, touching it. And then defensively, any opportunity you can get with the ball in the air or via a fumble, you have to go get it. Special teams as well, because this team has done a great job of getting the football.” Offensively, the Browns are focused on fundamentals to help Dorian Thompson-Robinson take care of the football and keep the Broncos from taking it away. “Not just standing there after we break off our routes, actually coming back to the ball, cutting off the ability of the cornerback to undercut the ball, high-pointing the ball, making sure we're assignment sound, making sure we know the game plan so there's as little mistakes as possible,” Cooper said. “Making sure we have strong hands. All the so-called little things we have to make sure we're on it.”
My Cause My Cleats – Specially designed cleats for this year’s My Cause My Cleats campaign were displayed in the lobby of the team’s headquarters Friday. Including head coach Kevin Stefanski, nearly 30 Browns are participating The special cleats will be worn December 3 against the Rams in Los Angeles.
Injury report – OUT: WR Marquise Goodwin (concussion), CB Denzel Ward (shoulder); QUESTIONABLE: S Juan Thornhill (calf), LB Jordan Kunaszyk (knee), LB Anthony Walker (hamstring); EXPECTED TO PLAY: S Grant Delpit (thigh), DE Myles Garrett (ankle), LG Joel Bitonio (knee), TE David Njoku (knee), LB Matthew Adams (knee), RG Wyatt Teller (ankle), RT Dawand Jones (knee), CB Greg Newsome II (calf), Ogbo Okoronkwo (groin), CB Mike Ford Jr. (thumb/ribs)
