BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns placed backup center Nick Harris on the Reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday morning making him the fifth player in three days to be placed on a COVID list.
As a result of the volume of recent COVID list additions this week, the Browns begin their preparations for the New England Patriots under enhanced protocols.
The team is meeting virtually, masks are being worn by everyone within the building, the cafeteria has been closed and daily testing has also returned.
“It’s things we’ve done before,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We know virtual meetings are not ideal, but we also understand you can cover a lot of ground in them. So we just talked with the players this morning about making sure they are engaged in those meetings and getting everything out of them that we need to.”
Stefanski did not say if the team would ask players to limit their activities outside the building on their personal time as to limit exposure to the general public, similar to last year.
“We are just trying to follow whatever the rules are that are in place. We are going to follow them,” Stefanski said. “Previously, you did not have to wear masks around the building; now, we do. Previously, we could meet in person; we are not going to. Whatever the rules are, we are going to make sure we follow them.
“Now, we do remind the guys to be mindful of who you around.
If a family member is in town or a friend is in town who is sick, that is important to know, and make sure that you make smart decisions.”
On Monday backup running back John Kelley was placed on the list and practice squad receiver Lawrence Cager was put on Practice Squad/COVID-19.
Tuesday running back Nick Chubb and running back/receiver Demetric Felton were both placed on reserve/COVID-19.
“We’ll see how this week goes and if we can get them back or not,” Stefanski said.
Stefanski would not disclose if any of the players were experiencing symptoms.
If Chubb is unavailable, D’Ernest Johnson, who ran for 146 yards and a touchdown in a 17-14 win over the Broncos on October 21, would start Stefanski said.
Under this year’s protocols agreed to by the NFL and NFLPA, a vaccinated player who tests positive and is asymptomatic must test negative twice, at least 24 hours apart, while vaccinated players who have symptoms must have two negative tests taken at least 24 hours apart and be asymptomatic for 48 hours.
“I think we have all seen that across the league and across the country that there are breakthrough cases,” Stefanski said. “We understand that. We will just deal with it on a day-to-day basis.”
