BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns will head to Baltimore down two offensive tackles but there’s some good news about the progress of quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Here’s our top Brownie Bites from Friday.
He’s back – Watson has looked as comfortable throwing the ball as he has been during the open portion of practice to reporters since he suffered a right rotator cuff strain on September 24 in a 27-3 win over Tennessee. Tight end David Njoku agreed. “He's back; lights out man,” Njoku told 92.3 The Fan Friday afternoon. “He looks amazing. There's just this week the ball's, he been throwing, it’s almost like we had to remind ourselves who we really have. You know what I mean? He is exceptional.” Last week against the Cardinals, Watson and Njoku hooked up on a 5-yard touchdown in the third quarter that put the Browns up 20-0. It was Njoku’s second touchdown in as many games after going the first six without a score. “It helps having Deshaun back too, because he's just such a powerful component for our team,” Njoku said. “He's really, really talented. So just reading him, seeing the chemistry that's growing among us, it helps that much more.” Going into this weekend’s game in Baltimore, that has to be music to the ears of Browns fans. Cleveland needs a win to keep their AFC North title hopes alive by pulling within a half game of the Ravens in the standings with a win. “It doesn't get better than this,” Njoku said. While the Browns have downplayed any pressure that comes with the second meeting of the season during the week, Njoku refuses to run from it. In fact, he embraces it. “As a team, we don't really put all that extra pressure on ourselves. Me personally, I love the pressure,” Njoku said. “It fuels me, so I try to hype it up as much as I can in my head because it makes the game that much more fun for me. But it's just one game at a time. This is a division game. It's important for us. So we want to go out there and put our best foot forward and give it our all.”
Line dance – The last thing the Browns needed going into Sunday’s game against a tenacious Ravens defensive front was injuries that forced a shuffling of the offensive line but here they are with that exact problem. Right tackle Dawand Jones, who is dealing with shoulder and knee injuries, has been ruled out for Sunday’s game. “It sucks. It's part of game,” Jones said. He did not practice this week and he worked on the side with trainers. James Hudson III spent much of the week working at right tackle in place of Jones, who finished last week’s game despite suffering a knee injury. “Jed was down. I just had to carry on for the rest of the game,” Jones said. “We really didn't have nobody else to hold on to. But you got to fight those injuries just to get to the finish line.” Six-year veteran Gerin Christian could be elevated from the practice squad to play left tackle for Jedrick Wills Jr. but head coach Kevin Stefanski declined to reveal how he plans to full both tackle roles Sunday in Baltimore. “We feel good about where we're going, worked hard at it and feel like we'll continue to work through it,” Stefanski said. “We looked at every option, as you can imagine, and we talked through all those things and then we felt good about the plan and feel good about how we practice and then you move forward.” Wills was placed on injured reserve and is out 4-6 weeks with an MCL injury suffered last week against Arizona. The Browns lost starting right tackle Jack Conklin to a season-ending knee injury in Week 1 thrusting Jones, a 2023 fourth-round pick, into the lineup. Baltimore leads the NFL with 35 sacks this season and two new tackles means Njoku will be a key component again in the blocking game. “It's up to us to figure it out as a unit,” Njoku said. “Try to be as vocal as I can for the team, for the offense, for offensive line. Try to do whatever I can to help them to make them think less and just play the game of ball that much faster.”
Moore production – Based off offseason work and training camp, Elijah Moore, acquired from the Jets for a second-round pick in March, would be a centerpiece and explosive playmaker offensively. Moore is third on the team – second among receivers – with 29 catches but he has just 270 yards. “It's frustrating, but you got to put your best foot forward,” Moore said. “I've been through this. Who would I be not to learn from what I've been through? I got to put my best foot forward and everything I do, I got to learn from the lessons, sooner or later I got to believe that's going to happen.” Moore has eight carries for just 11 yards with a long run of 19 yards but he was also penalized for falling on a Deshaun Watson backwards pass that saw him credited with a -16-yard rush. “When you are in a system like this, you got to just keep chipping away,” Moore said. “You just don't never know what's going to happen. You got to be strong minded for real for real. You got to be the person that is going to come ready no matter what, even when it looks like it's not going to happen. And that's just what I'm building my mind up for.” With receivers David Bell and Marquise Goodwin out this weekend, it’s not out of the question to think Moore will be called upon in a big way against the Ravens. “Every single week I feel like we all try to put our best foot forward, so we can't really look at who's not here,” Moore said. “We got to focus on who is.”
King’s influence – LeBron James is known for investing millions annually on nutrition, physical therapy and conditioning to maintain his health and physical conditioning. Browns All Pro defensive end Myles Garrett took notice of James’ regimen as well as other superstars across the globe. “[LeBron’s] a big influence for as long as he's done it,” Garrett said. “Got in contact with his people to help set up the team that I have now. So I mean he's a major influence, but Renaldo, Messi, Brady, Rogers, all those guys doing it for such a long time, at a high competitive level also were influences to me to get a step ahead, be proactive about my health and wellness and take care of those things before they become a problem.” Garrett credits those behind the scenes for his sustained success on the field that has him a half sack shy of becoming the only player in the NFL to have at least 10 in each of the last six seasons and having the most games [57] with at least a sack in his first 92 career games. “I have a great team that helps take care of my body and also works with me mentally in improving how I can always improve my game, how I can take it to the next level,” Garrett said. “Achieving goals, challenging myself and I have a great team around me, a great football team around me that allows me to play my instinctive brand of ball and we feed off of each other.”
Gametime decision – Nickel corner Greg Newsome practiced on a limited basis for a second straight day but his availability against the Ravens will come down to Sunday morning in Baltimore. “Obviously I didn't get a bunch of reps,” Newsome said. “It's definitely going to be a coach, trainers, and then just how I'm feeling on Sunday decision… my goal is to play obviously. Just over these next two days, I'll definitely get a good tell of that.”
Not this time – Garrett had a succinct reaction when asked about the Ravens’ No. 1 rushing attack racking up 298 yards in a 37-3 rout of the Seahawks last week. “Ain’t happening with us,” Garrett said.
Clearing out – Crews have spent the last two days clearing out trees and shrubs between Pearl and Front Streets in Berea next to CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Over the past few years the Haslam Sports Group has purchased nearly a dozen plots of land in the area, including down the road off Depot Street, for future development and expansion of the team administrative and training complex. The multimillion-dollar project remains in the conceptual stage and construction is not imminent while plans and proposals for a massive mixed-use development are finalized.
Injury report – OUT: WR David Bell (knee), WR Marquise Goodwin (concussion), OT Dawand Jones (knee/shoulder); QUESTIONABLE: CB Greg Newsome (groin), RB Pierre Strong (hamstring); EXPECTED TO PLAY: WR Amari Cooper (rest, ankle), TE David Njoku (knee), DE Ogbo Okoronkwo (groin), DE Alex Wright (knee), S Grant Delpit (shoulder), OL Nick Harris (toe), QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder)