CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns practiced Friday without their top tight end.
Austin Hooper did not participate due to a neck injury according to the team’s injury report.
It is unclear how and when Hooper suffered the injury as well as the severity. Head coach Kevin Stefanski is expected to update Hooper’s status Saturday.
Hooper, who missed two games earlier this season after undergoing an appendectomy, did not appear on Thursday’s injury report.
Hooper has 30 catches for 286 yards and a pair of touchdowns this season, his first with the Browns since signing a four-year contract in the spring.
Hollywood Squares – Rashard Higgins is enjoying the Browns resurgence and playoff push while proving himself as a reliable target for Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt to rely on within their offense.
“Early in the season, it was hard to get him active just with where we were numbers-wise and special teams and all of those types of things,” Stefanski said. “He never wavered. He practices really hard and stays on top of his job and what he is supposed to do. A great teammate, a supportive guy. I am happy that he is getting his opportunities, and he is making the most of them.”
Higgins has 25 catches for 400 yards and three touchdowns and is averaging a career-best 16.0 yards per reception this year.
“He is versatile. We can line him up in different places,” Stefanski said. “There is obviously a rapport between him and Baker. He is in the right spot at the right time and makes the catch. We are going to be counting on him here in this game and the next one, and he understands that.”
Close Calls – Historically, the Browns had been champions of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory since returning to the NFL in 1999 but the tide has turned in 2020.
The Browns are 6-0 in games decided by 6 or fewer points this season.
“In all of the games but particularly the close ones that you are talking about, situational football becomes key,” Stefanski said. “We stress here a lot of having shared situational awareness. That is where I give the players a ton of credit for everybody being into the game and understanding what we are doing and why we are doing it because in those moments, it is really, really important that everybody is on the same page.”
From 1999-2019 the Browns went 47-80-1 in those games and only once did they win more than they lost – 2009 when they were 3-2.
Step Forward – Browns safety Ronnie Harrison’s rehab from a shoulder injury suffered against Jacksonville Nov. 29 seems to be moving forward.
Harrison tweeted a status update Friday afternoon.
Orange Crush – The Browns plan to break out their popular orange pants Monday night against the Ravens.
Injury Report – DNP: CB Denzel Ward (calf), WR KhaDarel Hodge (hamstring), TE Austin Hooper (); LIMITED: RT Jack Conklin (knee), C JC Tretter (knee); FULL: WR Jarvis Landry (hip)