Brownie Bites: Jakeem Grant lost for season, Marquise Goodwin off NFI as roster decisions loom
CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The preseason is officially in the books and now the difficult roster decisions loom leading up to Tuesday’s 4 p.m. eastern deadline to get down to 53.
“We have started that [process],” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “It’s not a fun part of our gig to do this. You’d love to keep everybody, the roster has to be cut down, so ultimately you’re making tough decisions. You’re letting go of good football players, you’re letting go of some young players that I think there’s a lot of a bright future ahead for a bunch of guys.”
Stefanski spoke Sunday following the news that receiver/returner Jakeem Grant Sr. is lost for a second consecutive season and the team making a minor trade to add another piece to the running back mix.
Here’s our top Brownie Bites from Sunday.
An MRI confirmed that Grant suffered a ruptured patellar tendon Saturday, which will cost him the season. “Very, very disappointed for Jakeem to see a guy that worked so hard to come back from the previous injuries,” Stefanski said. “I marvel at his strength and I know his teammates do as well, so that's a tough one.” Grant, who had recovered from a ruptured Achilles last August that cost him the 2022 campaign, went down while returning the opening kickoff against the Chiefs and was carted off the field with an air cast on his right leg. “As you can imagine, [he’s] just disappointed,” Stefanski said. “Rehabbing through injuries is no fun, and it’s a lot of hard work and it’s a lot of time spent in the training room in the weight room. There’s not a lot of glory in that. And then to come back and get injured the way he did, he’s disappointed.”
Good news for receiver Marquise Goodwin, who will come off NFI and begin ramping up preparations for the upcoming season. “Great news for us,” Stefanski said. “He’s been, as you all see, he’s been involved in everything in the meeting room on the practice field during those games. I mean, he’s such a supportive teammate and so to have him progressing to where he can start to get ready for the season, I think is outstanding.” Goodwin was diagnosed with blood clots in his legs and lungs earlier this spring but Stefanski didn’t have a timetable as to when Goodwin will be able to play. “It's so hard to say,” Stefanski said. “I would tell you he’s worked very, very hard off to the side, both with our strength staff, all the running that he’s done, so he’s remaining in great shape. Now, obviously there’s playing football shape as well, so we’ll integrate him as we can and as he allows, and with keeping the medical side fully involved in those type of decisions. But where that goes from here, I’m not sure, but I think it’s a good positive first step to take him off that list.”
Reserve offensive lineman Tyrone Wheatley Jr. was traded to New England for running back Pierre Strong Jr. Sunday morning. “That was an opportunity that came our way and feel good about adding Pierre, somebody that we’ve done a bunch of work on,” Stefanski said. “We’ll see how quickly we can get him up to speed. This is what happens as you know, around this time and really throughout the season, you start to add players, and it’s our job to ramp them up as quickly as possible so they can understand our language, how we operate, so they can help us potentially down the line.” Wheatly, who missed time during camp due to injury, wasn’t likely to make the team while Jordan Wilkins fumbled twice in nine snaps Saturday lengthening the odds the running back would survive the initial 53 Tuesday. Strong was a 2022 fourth round pick who had 10 carries for 100 yards and a score as a rookie for the Patriots.
Stefanski was non-committal when directly asked if Cade York would be the Browns Week 1 kicker. “We always keep those internal as we get through this week, but I'll reiterate, I think Cade is very, very talented,” Stefanski said. York missed his first PAT Sunday and was run into but did not suffer any effects from that according to Stefanski. York had a potential game-winning field goal partially blocked Saturday, but before the deflection, it did not come off his foot well. York has been perfect in practice but very inconsistent during the preseason. “We’ve seen it in practice, definitely. I’ve seen it at times in games. He wants to come through for the team, team. I know he’s disappointed in that preseason, but young players are going to continue to work.”
Linebackers Anthony Walker Jr. and Sione Takitaki are both expected to be ready to play Week 1 Stefanski said.
Roster moves – The Browns reduced the roster to 76 Sunday afternoon with a series of moves. Placed on injured reserve: WR Jakeem Grant Sr.; Waived with injury designation: WR Anthony Schwartz; Waived: CB Caleb Biggers, LB Cam Bright, TE Miller Forristall, TE Thomas Greaney, CB Gavin Heslop, T Derrick Kelly II, S Nate Meadors, WR Jalen Wayne; Contract terminated: G Colby Gossett, RB Jordan Wilkins
Injury report – Cornerback Denzel Ward is in concussion protocol and linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk to miss “multiple weeks” with a knee injury according to Stefanski.
