Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters Wednesday that wideout Odell Beckham Jr. will miss the team's Week 2 matchup vs. the Houston Texans as he continues to rehabilitate his knee. 

Beckham also missed the team's Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.   

Beckham has struggled to stay on the field since the start of the 2017 season. The three-time Pro Bowler missed a total of 25 games because of injuries from 2017-20, including Cleveland's final nine games last season because of a torn ACL. 

Cleveland's offense did hit its stride down the stretch in 2020 without Beckham. Baker Mayfield threw for 2,171 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception over the final nine games, and the Browns went 6-3 during that stretch to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2002. 

Expectations are high in Cleveland after the Browns reached the AFC divisional round last season. 

Beckham's injury woes have hindered his ability to make a significant impact recently, but he can still be an impact playmaker at his best. The three-time Pro Bowler had 154 yards from scrimmage and three total touchdowns in Cleveland's 49-38 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4 last year. 

Cleveland does have quality depth at wide receiver to get by without Beckham for the time being. Jarvis Landry is Mayfield's safety net, while Rashard Higgins (16.2 yards per reception) and Donovan Peoples-Jones (21.7 yards per reception) were big-play threats. Anthony Schwartz also caught three passes for 69 yards against the Chiefs in Week 1.

The strength of the Browns offense is the running game, led by Nick Chubb. As long as that remains intact, the Mayfield-led passing attack doesn't need to carry a huge burden as the team chases a playoff berth this season. 

It's a new day for the Cleveland Browns, and it's one without moral victories. 

While the old Browns may have been happy with Sunday's narrow 33-29 loss to the two-time defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs, the new ones have their eyes on finishing those games on the winning side and competing for a spot in the Super Bowl.

Just ask their defensive leader.

"No such thing as moral victories," Myles Garrett told Bleacher Report. "Especially in my eyes, and I'm going to tell that to my guys. I already have. It's a lesson early on just showing that we're a good team. We can fight and battle with the best of them, but as long as we keep on having these mental errors down the stretch, we're not going to be able to close out. Especially with a team that finishes well like they do and can play 60 minutes. We have to be able to do that, we can't play three quarters and expect to beat a team like that."

It appeared as if Cleveland was going to beat a team like that when it built a 22-10 halftime lead.

Garrett and the defense kept Kansas City's high-powered offense in relative check, Nick Chubb scored two touchdowns and Jarvis Landry delivered a touchdown as a go-to option with Odell Beckham Jr. sidelined.

It was all coming together for the Browns until Patrick Mahomes threw three touchdowns in the second half, one of which went for 75 yards to Tyreek Hill and two of which went to Travis Kelce, further underscoring the borderline unfair amount of talent on the Chiefs.

While it wasn't the result Cleveland was looking for, the hard-fought battle also did nothing to dampen the elevated expectations in place.

"We're ready to get back on the right side of things," Garrett said. "We were close, and we're just a couple plays away. There's some things we need to clean up and we're looking at it. I know us as players and our coaches are trying to find a way for us to take the next step. Because we're right there at the door. The only thing separating us and the Chiefs and some of the teams that are Super Bowl contenders are some of those plays down the stretch. Third quarter, fourth quarter, not allowing those big plays or not allowing some of those technical errors to knock us back. Against teams like that, they're going to take advantage."

Even mentioning the Super Bowl in Cleveland would have been a punchline not that long ago, but the 2021 Browns are coming off an 11-5 season that saw them break a streak of 17 straight years failing to make the playoffs.

They didn't just reach the playoffs. In fact, they defeated the archrival Pittsburgh Steelers when they got there and lost a five-point heartbreaker to Kansas City in the divisional round. It wouldn't be a surprise if a Cleveland team featuring Garrett, Baker Mayfield, Beckham, Chubb, Landry, Denzel Ward and others was the biggest AFC roadblock for the Chiefs come January.

One of the roadblocks for all opponents will be dealing with Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney in the same front seven after Cleveland signed the No. 1 pick of the 2014 NFL draft this offseason.

The Browns surely envisioned Clowney using his speed and quickness to take advantage of blitzing lanes when opposing offensive lines doubled Garrett, which would, in turn, allow him to bounce back from his sackless 2020 campaign when he was on the Tennessee Titans.

Garrett opened up about playing with such a talented teammate but acknowledged they still have work to do after allowing Mahomes to run for a touchdown and break free of the pocket on multiple occasions.

"He matches my athletic ability, my speed, intensity-wise he's just as passionate," Garrett said of Clowney. "He's doing his thing on the other side in the pass-rush. We just have to work together to know what each other is going to do so we don't have any miscommunication and we don't let Patrick [Mahomes] scramble, which we let happen. I know he's good at that, he's very slippery and very good at extending plays outside of the pocket. But next time we do see him, we have to make sure we contain him in the pocket and don't let him extend plays."

Containing Mahomes in a potential future playoff matchup is going to require peak performance, which Garrett is striving toward by joining Ladder.

The sports nutrition company was founded by LeBron James and Arnold Schwarzenegger and, according to its website, is "dedicated to creating high-performance, NSF Certified for Sport workout supplements for daily use ... to complement a strong nutritional foundation and unlock the next level in training and exercise."

Garrett pointed out, "they work with a lot of great athletes, trying to keep them at peak performance."

"That's where I'm trying to be, I want to be able to take the next step," he added.

Taking that next step would mean bringing a championship to Cleveland, which is something James already did on the Cavaliers. While the NBA great is now on the Los Angeles Lakers, he and Garrett teamed up for a video that played off their Ohio connection while they both work toward their goals.

"It's big," Garrett said of getting the chance to work with James. "He's one of the greatest athletes that's ever played. To get the chance to work with him as well as the great company that they are, it was a hard opportunity to pass up. I couldn't pass on something like that."

Garrett may not have the individual resume to match LeBron's just yet, but the No. 1 pick of the 2017 NFL draft is already a franchise cornerstone in Cleveland.

The two-time Pro Bowler was named to the First Team All-Pro last season with 48 tackles, 12 sacks, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. It was his third straight campaign with double-digit sack totals, which naturally brings up the question of whether a run for the Defensive Player of the Year is in store.

Yet to hear him tell it, his individual goals for 2021 are all built toward helping the Browns succeed.

"I just want to be the best player on the field every time I'm on the field," he said. "Whatever comes with that, I'll take it. As far as personal glory, I'm just trying to watch my team win. I know that if I'm putting my best out there, there's a good chance of us winning. Especially if I'm taking away the ball. But I know we have 11 guys on defense who are also capable of doing their job at a very high level. And I'm going to support them and try to lead them the right way to success and to a place in the playoffs and maybe further."

That is surely what Browns fans who are starving to see their team win its first Lombardi Trophy want to hear. 

Cleveland Browns center JC Tretter called for the NFL to discipline Kansas City Chiefs running backs coach Greg Lewis for shoving teammate Ronnie Harrison Jr. in Kansas City's 33-29 win Sunday.

"I expect that the coach gets held to the same standard—if not a higher standard—than Ronnie," said Tretter, who's also the president of the NFL Players Association, in a Zoom call. "Being the first one in there and being a coach, putting his hands on an opposing player. I don’t think there’s any room for that in this league."

Harrison was ejected in the first quarter after pushing Lewis around the neck area on the sideline.

However, Lewis initially shoved Harrison after it appeared the Browns safety inadvertently stepped on Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Harrison was ejected following a video review of the incident, which was originally flagged as unsportsmanlike conduct on the Chiefs.

Myles Garrett echoed Tretter's comments.

"[Lewis] should get the same treatment that our players get," the Browns' star pass-rusher said Sunday. "He should be tossed out of the game just like Ronnie."

Head coach Kevin Stefanski was more circumspect.

"It's the oldest thing in football and in sport," he told reporters Monday. "The official always sees the second guy."

Stefanski also conceded the 24-year-old Harrison should've known better than to respond like he did.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported the NFL isn't expected to levy any suspensions to Harrison or Lewis, but the league hasn't issued any official ruling.

Even if Harrison doesn't miss any additional time, the Browns have already paid a price for his ejection. They were without their starting strong safety for the majority of Sunday's contest, in which Patrick Mahomes finished 27-of-36 for 337 yards and three touchdowns.

The Cleveland Browns will be short-handed in the secondary for most of the game against the high-flying Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

That is because safety Ronnie Harrison was ejected from the game in the first quarter for shoving Kansas City assistant coach Greg Lewis on the sidelines following a play and skirmish, per Scott Petrak of The Chronicle-Telegram.

Lewis did notably push Harrison first, but the Browns safety immediately reacted by shoving back and near the throat.

Kansas City coach Andy Reid commented on the matter after the game.

"You don’t do that on our sideline," Reid said, per Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star. "You don’t do that to our guys—bottom line." 

Reid continued:

So the fellow that was involved with it came over, and he was on the chest of our player and that’s what happened. So [Lewis] was trying to get [Harrison] off, and he didn't want to get off, so he kind of just lifted him a little bit and then he got hit. But he was there to get that fellow who was leaning on our guy. That's why there was a penalty, right? So the officials fixed it, which I thought was important.

Harrison started his career when the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft. He played his first two years in Jacksonville before being traded to the Browns prior to the 2020 season.

The Alabama product appeared in 11 games last year for the playoff-bound Browns and finished with 38 tackles, seven passes defended, one sack and one interception that he returned for a touchdown in a win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Grant Delpit would normally be the one who replaced Harrison in such a situation, but he was inactive for the game.

Playing without two playmakers on the back end of the defense is problem enough against any team in the league, let alone the one featuring Patrick Mahomes throwing to Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.

Cleveland's offense at least staked the AFC North team to an early lead before Harrison was ejected, but the Browns secondary will be under the spotlight for the rest of the game.

Harrison may also face a fine from the league office following his actions.

Baker Mayfield enters the 2021 season with one year remaining on his current contract. The Cleveland Browns have yet to discuss keeping their franchise QB around past 2022. All of it will hang over the next 17 weeks as the Oklahoma product looks to take the Browns back to the postseason in consecutive years for the first time since 1989. 

According to cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot, both Mayfield and the Browns are on board with this approach. The two sides are fine entering the season without substantive extension talks.

"If all goes as planned and the offense is as explosive as expected," Cabot wrote. "Mayfield will negotiate from a position of greater strength—likely during the season—and increase his chances of topping $40 million a year, which is the going rate for top QB extensions these days."

There's no question Mayfield has a wide range of talent in his huddle to hep increase his value. Wideouts Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry and Donovan Peoples-Jones are all stellar options in the passing game. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, meanwhile, make up arguably the best backfield committee in football.

That's all before adding tight ends Austin Hooper and David Njoku into the fold. 

Mayfield will earn $5.1 million this season before the already-exercised fifth-year option on his contract balloons his salary to $18.9 million in 2022. By the time the 2023 season begins, both of those numbers may look minuscule in comparison. 

Spotrac's Market Value tool projects an average annual salary of $35.2 million for Mayfield—which it believes will translate to a four-year, $141.5 million deal. 

The 26-year-old will have the rest of the 2021 season to prove he's worth more. 

That begins on Week 1 when the Browns head to Kansas City in a measuring stick contest against the Chiefs. A loss might not say much about the season, but defeating Patrick Mahomes and the two-time AFC champions on the road would give Mayfield quite the head start at the bargaining table. 

Either way, the 2021 season is shaping up to be the most pivotal for Mayfield's future in Cleveland. 

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett is looking to follow in the footsteps of one of the biggest legends in the history of Cleveland sports.

In an interview with Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal on Tuesday, it was mentioned to Garrett that the Browns added defensive linemen Jadeveon Clowney and Malik Jackson during the offseason.

As part of that discussion, Garrett made reference to the Cleveland Cavaliers team made up of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love that won an NBA championship in 2016: "I've got my Kyrie and my Love? Well, hell, I have to prove that I'm LeBron first before anything. I have to prove that I'm the playmaker at all levels. Hell, he's top-three in any debate that you have."

With four NBA MVP awards, four NBA championships and four NBA Finals MVP awards to his credit, James is one of the greatest and most decorated players in the history of basketball.

Garrett has a long way to go before becoming the football equivalent, but his career is off to a strong start.

The 25-year-old pass-rusher was the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NFL draft out of Texas A&M. In four NFL seasons since, he is a two-time Pro Bowler and one-time, first-team All-Pro.

Garrett has recorded double-digit sacks in each of the past three seasons and has 42.5 of them in 51 career regular-season games.

He set a career high with 13.5 sacks in 2018 and followed that with 10 in 10 games in 2019. Last season, Garrett registered 12 sacks plus a career-high four forced fumbles, netting him his first All-Pro nod.

Perhaps most importantly, the Browns reached the playoffs and even won a playoff game last season. That marked their first postseason appearance since 2002, ending the NFL's longest drought.

While LeBron has always been a superstar, his greatest success has come with a strong supporting cast.

He won two championships with the Miami Heat alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, one in Cleveland with Irving and Love, and one with the Los Angeles Lakers next to Anthony Davis.

It remains to be seen if Clowney and Jackson are the additions that put Garrett and the Browns over the top, but if the offense led by running back Nick Chubb, quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry can carry its weight, the Browns have a strong chance to make a deep run in 2021.

NFLPA president JC Tretter called on the NFL to resume daily COVID-19 testing among players for the 2021 season.

Tretter wrote that the Delta variant's spread has led to an increase in cases compared to last season:

Despite our vaccination rates being extremely high, we have seen that the Delta variant can infect and spread among vaccinated people. That means, at the moment, we are in a worse spot this year than last year because the NFL has backed off a key component of our previous success: daily testing.

Since the beginning of training camp, we have been testing our vaccinated players once every 14 days. It has been ineffective as we’ve had significantly more incidents of transmission inside the building this year than last year. The NFLPA saw this coming months ago and has been advocating for a return to daily testing because it is more effective way to stop and prevent the spread of the coronavirus in our locker rooms. However, the NFL decided to move to weekly testing; and while that is a step in the right direction, it leaves us open to many of the same problems we’ve been facing.

The NFL was previously testing vaccinated players once every 14 days but increased that to once per week amid rising cases in the United States and inside NFL locker rooms. The league has also placed heavy restrictions on unvaccinated individuals, forcing them to socially distance from their teammates and wear masks at all times.

Unvaccinated players are tested daily. Tretter says transmission within team facilities has been higher because vaccinated individuals, who are far less likely to transmit and carry COVID-19 but still can do so, are not tested often enough. 

"We have seen scenarios like these happen multiple times over the last month. Recently, Tennessee finished up with 14 positives—and the team was 97% vaccinated at that time." Tretter wrote. "It’s not hard to realize how devastating that would be during a week of the regular season. Yet, incidents like this have flown under the radar because players missing training camp practices or preseason games isn’t big news. That will not be the case moving forward and a few teams are already without, or at risk of being without, key starters heading into this opening weekend."