BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Browns receiver Jarvis Landry was among four players to return to practice Thursday as the Browns continue preparations for the Bengals Sunday in Cincinnati.
Landry was idle Wednesday due to a knee injury he suffered in a 17-14 win over the Broncos on October 21.
The five-time Pro Bowler had a difficult stretch last week that saw him drop a pair of passes and fumble.
“He will be fine. I have no problems with a couple of dropped balls,” offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said. “That is an anomaly for Jarvis. He is going to catch more than he is going to drop. Unfortunately, they came at a time when we needed it, but that is part of the game.
“I said in front of the group of guys, if we were at war, I would definitely take him in my foxhole all day long. He is a warrior. He is a stud. He will rebound just fine.”
Landry, who has caught 16 of 24 targets this season for 182 yards in four games this season, was extra critical of himself following the game Sunday night.
“Jarvis is a pro. He is going to do everything he can to play better this week – there is no doubt in my mind,” Van Pelt said. “I do not know what he could do different, but again, those drops were rare for him. That is something that I would never worry myself about. I know he will make the plays again when the time comes for him.”
Healthier D – Four key defenders also were back on the field – defensive end Takkarist McKinley along with defensive tackles Malik McDowell and Malik Jackson and safety John Johnson III.
“Some of those guys are fighting through some little nagging injuries,” defensive coordinator Joe Woods said. “I think we will be fine come Sunday, but the rest of the week will determine what the answer will be.”
McKinley is dealing with a groin injury, Jackson an ankle injury, McDowell returned from an illness and Johnson a neck injury.
Johnson plans to play this week after getting injured against Pittsburgh.
“After that play, I played a few more plays and felt like I could have finished the game,” Johnson said. “But it was the safety thing to get some pictures on what happened, but I feel great right now. I’m just taking it easy this week, but I’m 100 percent fully ready to play on Sunday.”
Pack a punch – Van Pelt disputes the notion that the Browns passing game is not working this year – and especially last week in a 15-10 loss to the Steelers.
“I would not say anything is going wrong,” Van Pelt said. “Really, I think we completed 75 percent of our passes last week, which is pretty good in NFL standards. We had some mishandling of the ball and a couple of drops that would have added to that and increased that.
“I think where we need to be is more explosive with our ability to push the ball down the field. As far as completion percentage and what we are doing taking care of the football in the pass game, we are doing OK. We need to do better of getting bigger chunks.”
The Browns, who have lost three of their last four games, have mustered just 10 plays of 20 or more yards in the last three games combined and they have scored a combined 38 points.
Can the Browns push the ball down the field with Baker Mayfield’s limited mobility due to the left shoulder injury?
“I have no doubts,” Van Pelt said. “My confidence in Baker is big. He will work through that as he goes. The harness, he will continue to get used to that the more reps he gets with that. I do not see it as a concern. We just have to find ways to make the plays down the field.”
Clowney continues to be idle – Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney continues to rest during the week to get him healthy enough to play on Sunday.
Clowney is still dealing with a trio of injuries – ankle, knee and hip.
Injury report – DNP: WR Odell Beckham Jr. (shoulder/not injury related-personal matter), C J.C. Tretter (knee), DE Jadeveon Clowney (ankle, knee, hip), RT Jack Conklin (elbow); LIMITED: DT Malik Jackson (ankle), S John Johnson III (neck), WR Jarvis Landry (knee), DT Malik McDowell (illness), TE Harrison Bryant (thigh), CB A.J. Green (groin), WR Donovan Peoples-Jones (groin), CB Denzel Ward (hamstring), LT Jedrick Wills Jr. (ankle); FULL: QB Baker Mayfield (left shoulder), DE Takkarist McKinley (groin), DE Joe Jackson (shoulder), TE David Njoku (neck)
Up next – Practice Friday.
