CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Although cornerback Denzel Ward did not practice again Thursday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski left the door open for a possible return Monday night against the Ravens.
"I wouldn’t call it a long shot,” Stefanski said Thursday morning prior to the team practicing. “I think seeing what he can do today with the guys working off to the side, see what he could do tomorrow, so yeah I’m hopeful, but I can’t peg it with a percentage.”
Ward has missed the last two games due to a calf strain suffered Nov. 22 in a win over the Eagles.
The 2018 No. 4 overall pick had been playing at a Pro Bowl level prior to the injury, leading the NFL with 15 passes defensed prior to getting hurt.
The Browns are currently without their top two players in the secondary in Ward and safety Ronnie Harrison, who is on injured reserve with a shoulder injury suffered Nov. 29 in a win over the Jaguars.
Cleveland's defense is ranked 23rd defending the pass allowing just under 260 yards through the air per game.
Raising the Bar – The Browns enter Week 14 firmly in control of their playoff destiny atop the AFC Wild Card standings.
Following the win over the titans, Baker Mayfield indicated fans need to reset their expectations because the standards for the Browns have changed.
Thursday, Mayfield was asked to elaborate on just what those standards are now.
“We want to be a winning franchise, a competitive franchise – one that when we step out on the field, we know what we are capable of,” Mayfield said. “It needs to be a winning culture. It is all of the things we have talked about. Everything needs to be about winning.”
What is clear is that 9-3 is not the end goal and the bar has been raised beyond just finish above .500.
“There is a lot of excitement. I will say that,” receiver Rashard Higgins said, “but there is still this feeling in the locker room of like, ‘You know what? Yeah, we won, but we still have not accomplished anything yet.’”
The secret to success this year isn’t hard for defensive end Myles Garrett to identify.
“It is not about the record,” Garrett said. “We want to have success. That is obvious. Every team wants to have success, but it is about going out there and achieving the things that you want to do every Sunday. Right now, we are doing that, but we have to continue playing together. That has been the difference of this year. We are playing together and having a better cohesion as a unit and less penalties, and that is really driven us to make those big plays on all three phases.”
For the first time in years the Browns have a clear identity and formula for victory.
“We are not going to back down against anybody,” Garrett said. “We are going to be gritty. We are going to be grimy. We are going to be tough. We are going to go out there, and we are going to try to run the ball down your throat. We are going to mix it up. We are going to try and come at you and attack in different ways on offense and on defense. We are going to try and get after you as a quarterback, and we are going to try and stop the run and try to swarm you.”
On Schedule – Stefanski indicated that right guard Wyatt Teller is on schedule to return from the reserve/COVID-19 list in time for Monday’s game should he continue to test negative.
Teller was placed on the list Monday after coming in close contact with someone who tested positive but he would be cleared should he test negative for five consecutive days.
“I want to make sure we just follow the protocols there,” Stefanski said.
Should Teller not be able to play, Chris Hubbard will fill in for him. Hubbard played in place of Teller when he was sidelined with a calf injury earlier this season.
Stop the Count – Three Browns continue to lead 2020 Pro Bowl fan voting with one week to go.
Defensive end Myles Garrett leads all defensive players with 180,723 votes. Fullback Andy Janovich (107,125) and left guard Joel Bitonio (112,725) continue to lead at their respective positions.
Fan voting will conclude Dec. 17. Players and coaches will cast their ballots on Dec. 18. In total 88 players will be selected although there will not be a game played due to the OCVID-19 pandemic.
Injury Report – DNP: CB Denzel Ward (calf), WR KhaDarel Hodge (hamstring); LIMITED: RT Jack Conklin (knee), C JC Tretter (knee); FULL: WR Jarvis Landry (hip)