BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns designated receiver Jarvis Landry to return from injured reserve Friday.
The move allows Landry to return to practice and starts the 21-day clock to activate him. For Landry to be eligible to play Sunday against Arizona he must be activated by 4 p.m. Saturday.
“I think we’ll see,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said of Landry’s availability this week.
Landry suffered an MCL sprain on the second play of a Week 2 31-21 victory over the Texans.
The five-time Pro Bowler has caught six passes for 80 yards in two games to go with two rushes for 13 yards and a touchdown this season.
Chubb out – Running back Nick Chubb was ruled out for Sunday’s game due to a calf injury that kept him from practicing this week.
“Never want to see a guy like Nick go down,” fellow back Kareem Hunt said. “Definitely, what he means to this team is crazy, so we've got a lot of good backs in our RB room, I feel like we should be able to hold it down until he gets back.”
Hunt returned to practice Friday after being idle the previous two days with wrist and knee injuries this week and is listed as questionable.
“I think anytime you’re without a player of Nick’s caliber, guys have to step up,” Stefanski said. “So, it’s never just one person that replaces Nick Chubb. Obviously we feel real strong about Kareem and what he’s capable of but guys have to step up.”
Chubb, who ranks second in the NFL with 523 rushing yards and is tied for sixth with four rushing touchdowns, ran for 161 yards on 21 carries last week against the Chargers before getting hurt.
“I think it was towards the end of the game,” Stefanski said.
“We ruled him out for this week but I’m not going to think or go past this game.”
Tackle shortage – Both starting offensive tackles remained sidelined and are questionable Sunday.
Let tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. and right tackle Jack Conklin did not practice Friday but the Browns are holding out hope that one, or both will be able to go.
“We will see how it goes over the next 48 hours,” Stefanski said. “We will see.”
Wills was limited Wednesday with the ankle injury that has been bothering him since Week 1 while Conklin’s knee injury has kept him out all week.
Blake Hance would be first in line to start and James Hudson III if needed. Should both tackles be out, Hance would likely be at left tackle and Hudson right tackle.
“I have always been pretty comfortable in that spot because that is what I played in college for the most part,” Hance said. “It has been a couple of years since I focused on that spot as much or even the tackle position, but just having a couple of weeks in a row of playing one spot, you do get more comfortable then bouncing around a lot, but that is the life of a backup. Typically, you have to be ready to go in at least two spots and sometimes four or five. It does add comfort to just be in the same spot every day.”
Notable quotable – “Man, he's ready to go off. He's shown that. His first league, he led the league, so I think he definitely has it within him to have a career day if he gets a chance.” Defensive end Myles Garrett on Hunt likely to get the bulk of the carries in Chubb’s absence.
Injury report – OUT: RB Nick Chubb (calf), LB Malcolm Smith (abdomen); QUESTIONABLE: RT Jack Conklin (knee), DE Myles Garrett (knee, ankle), DE Jadeveon Clowney (elbow, knee), RB Kareem Hunt (wrist, knee), CB A.J. Green (shoulder, knee), DE Takkarist McKinley (ankle, knee), CB Greg Newsome II (calf), CB Denzel Ward (neck), LT Jedrick Wills Jr. (ankle), C J.C.
Tretter (knee); EXPECTED TO PLAY: TE David Njoku (knee), DE Malik Jackson (knee), Malik McDowell (elbow, foot, neck), CB Greedy Williams (shoulder, knee), LB Elijah Lee (hip)
Up next – Game vs. Cardinals Sunday at 4:05.
