BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Donovan Peoples-Jones was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday.
“It's a great feeling,” Peoples-Jones said.
Peoples-Jones returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown in Sunday’s 27-14 win over the Texans in Houston.
“I was happy I didn't trip but I was more impressed with my teammates and the blocking that they did,” Peoples-Jones said. “Nobody gave up after I made a couple guys miss. Everybody stuck to their man and there was never any flinching from them and it really impressed me that nobody gave up.”
It was the first punt return for a score by a Browns returner since Travis Benjamin in September 2015.
“I really didn’t know how long it’s been since a return,” Peoples-Jones said. “That’s been something that I wanted to do ever since I’ve been here and definitely been one of my goals.”
In all, Peoples-Jones returned three punts for 86 yards and a score at Houston. He is averaging nearly 15 yards per punt return this season.
Peoples-Jones is the second Brown to receive the honor this season. In Week 1 rookie kicker Cade York won the award for making a 58-yard field goal in the closing seconds to beat Carolina.
Takitaki to IR – The Browns placed linebacker Sione Takitaki on injured reserve Wednesday morning.
Takitaki suffered a torn ACL in the win over the Texans and is lost for the season joining fellow linebackers Anthony Walker and Jacob Phillips, who landed on IR with season-ending injuries earlier.
“I mean it's heartbreaking for a defense and for those guys individually,” safety John Johnson III said. “You never wanna see a guy go down. He was playing good football for us. Like you said, it's kind of just a rotating door of just guys coming in and playing. But we can't let that stop us from getting where we need to go. We got guys that have played at a high level that are definitely able to go out there and give us a lot so we can have success.”
The 2019 third-round pick is in the final year of his rookie contract and he can become a free agent in March.
Chief returns – Tight end David Njoku practiced Wednesday after sitting last week out due to a knee injury and he hopes to play this weekend in Cincinnati.
Njoku indicated he suffered the injury on the play before his incredible one-handed touchdown catch against Tampa Bay that forced overtime.
“I was kind of excited so I didn’t really feel it too much on that play, but felt it the play before,” Njoku said. “It is what it is. It’s a physical sport.”
Njoku is hopeful that the spectacular grab will earn him more red zone targets going forward.
“I’m always hopeful for red zone targets, dawg.,” Njoku said. “No matter what, no matter where, who, any scenario I need red zone targets.”
Not only did Njoku help the Browns rally for a 23-17 win with the TD, he also received a jersey from Tom Brady, whom he grew up watching and idolizing, as a memento.
“[It meant] the world,” Njoku said. “I told him on the field, ‘listen dawg, you’re my idol but I’m not leaving this field until I get this jersey’ and he laughed it off. He said ‘I promise you I’ll mail you one’ so I was like ‘alright I’m taking your word for it’ and he did so I was happy.”
Roster moves – With Takitaki moved to IR, the Browns signed linebacker Reggie Ragland to the active roster off the Raiders practice squad. The team also placed receiver Anthony Schwartz on injured reserve and claimed receiver Jaelen Darden off waivers from Tampa Bay.
Ragland, a 2016 second round pick by the Bills, is in his seventh season out of Alabama. In 75 career games, Ragland has started 47 games and totaled 276 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and an interception.
Darden was taken in the fourth round of the 2021 draft by the Buccaneers. he has appeared in 21 games and has eight catches for 69 yards on his resume along with 50 punt returns with a 9.4 return average and 20.3 average on 21 kickoffs.
Injury report – DNP: CB AJ Green (knee), OT James Hudson (illness), CB Denzel Ward (ankle, illness), DE Myles Garrett (rest), OT Joel Bitonio (rest), DE Jadeveon Clowney (rest), WR Amari Cooper (rest); LIMITED: TE David Njoku (knee), WR David Bell (thumb); FULL: DE Chase Winovich (knee), DE Alex Wright (knee)
Up next – Practice Thursday.