Spencer German reports the latest news and rumors from the Browns practice facility in Berea ahead of the teams divisional showdown with the Ravens.
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00:09 Hello Browns fans, welcome on into our latest practice report.
00:13 Coming to you from Berea here on a Friday, the final week of practice ahead of
00:17 the Browns matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.
00:19 A big one, massive one this weekend with some really, really serious stakes.
00:23 Ravens obviously sitting atop the division at seven and two.
00:26 You got the Browns five and three trying to stay in the hunt for the division.
00:30 And if you don't beat Baltimore on Sunday,
00:33 those hopes are almost minuscule or wiped away completely.
00:37 So it's a big one coming up.
00:39 And unfortunately for the Browns,
00:40 they are gonna be going into it pretty short handed.
00:43 It's been a story of injuries really all season long since week one when Jack
00:47 Conklin went down, you had Nick Chubb one week later in week two.
00:51 And it has spiraled into now we go into week ten and
00:54 the injuries continue to pile up specifically this week.
00:57 At along the offensive line at the tackle positions,
01:00 you know Jedrick Wills earlier in the week was placed on the IR with an MCL injury.
01:05 He will be back at some point this season is the expectation.
01:09 So that's the good news there.
01:10 But obviously he's out this week against the Ravens,
01:12 making matters worse for the Browns at the tackle position.
01:15 DeJuan Jones, standout rookie who has just been absolutely phenomenal for
01:20 the Browns this year filling in for Jack Conklin.
01:22 A godsend out of the fifth round.
01:25 He is now ruled out for the Browns this weekend as Kevin Stefanski let us know.
01:30 Once practice concluded today and that was kind of the assumption.
01:33 Anyway, when we were out there,
01:35 we were kind of get our eyes on the team a little bit.
01:38 DeJuan was off on the side, using the stationary bike,
01:42 going through some other things.
01:43 And that's generally a sign when a guy isn't practicing at all on a Friday, and
01:49 they miss practice all week, probably not gonna play.
01:52 So that was kind of the assumption going in.
01:54 Kevin Stefanski confirmed it today.
01:56 And that sets the stage essentially for
01:58 the Browns to start James Hudson at one of the tackle positions.
02:02 Something that Kevin Stefanski wouldn't clarify which one he's going to be at
02:07 on Sunday against Baltimore, which understandably trying to keep it close to
02:11 the vest, but they will be starting him at one of the tackle spots on Sunday.
02:14 And around him on the opposite side with no Jedrick Wills, no DeJuan Jones,
02:20 it's going to be some combination of Hudson and Leroy Watson.
02:25 Or Garon Christensen,
02:26 who are two guys that were both signed from practice squads in recent weeks.
02:31 So not necessarily what you're looking for against a Baltimore team that
02:35 obviously has an extremely talented pass rush.
02:40 They lead the NFL with 35 sacks this year.
02:43 You got Kyle Van Nooy who has I think five on the season.
02:47 You got Adafi Owu who's been fantastic for them.
02:50 You got our old friend here in Cleveland,
02:51 Jadavion Clowney as a pass rusher who's done some nice things this year for
02:55 Baltimore.
02:55 And that obviously is gonna be a challenge.
02:58 Keeping DeSean Watson upright in the pocket when you don't have
03:02 your starting tackle positions and really a backup who's been a very affordable
03:07 starter for you, but three tackles deep now, you are into your depth chart
03:12 as you're sort of just weathering the storm here as best you can.
03:15 I think that is a game changing note for this matchup.
03:20 Baltimore obviously is gonna get out to the pass.
03:23 They're gonna make life hard for DeSean Watson.
03:25 How effective will he be if the pockets aren't really forming or
03:30 if he's just running for his life the entire game?
03:32 This is truly a position or an injury, two injuries,
03:36 that could change the perspective and the outlook on this game.
03:39 A game that I felt if you at least have your tackles, I understand.
03:43 Nick Chubb, he's been out for a while, Jack Conklin,
03:45 he's been out for a while among others, right?
03:47 But you have your tackle positions now down to two backups who are starting for
03:52 you, and yeah, that is a matchup that a couple weeks ago when they played in
03:59 week four, you felt like the defense kind of kept you in it.
04:02 If the offensive DTR had been set up for more success or
04:05 if DeSean Watson was even out there, maybe you have a chance.
04:07 And that's the one element here,
04:09 like the defense can always keep the Browns in the game.
04:11 But you just wonder the combination of how good Baltimore's been playing right now.
04:17 They are rolling offensively,
04:18 seems like they're really getting into rhythm in this Tomlin offense with Lamar
04:21 Jackson under center, obviously.
04:23 We all know how talented he is.
04:25 And you throw in the fact that their defense is aggressive,
04:28 they get after the quarterback, and now you're missing two key offensive linemen
04:31 on the bookends there of the offensive line.
04:33 Not a great situation for the Browns to be walking into.
04:36 But it's the NFL, anybody can win on any given Sunday.
04:39 And DeSean Watson, you gave a three first round draft picks for
04:42 him to be the type of player that can win you these types of games.
04:45 Even when you're banged up and you're dealing with a lot of injuries and
04:49 your offensive line isn't necessarily up to snuff.
04:52 So we'll see if he can get that job done.
04:54 On the flip side of that, we talked about the defense.
04:56 I mentioned the defense for the Browns, which has obviously been best in
05:00 the league this year is what Grant Elpid obviously said early in the week of
05:04 practice, but certainly statistically in that conversation as well.
05:08 And the Ravens are too far behind,
05:09 two really, really good defenses going up against each other.
05:12 But specific to the Browns, this is gonna be another situation for
05:17 them as they look to get healthier.
05:19 Greg Newsome did practice in a limited capacity again on Friday.
05:23 He was limited on Thursday as well.
05:25 He was in the locker room after practice,
05:27 after our media availability for Miles Garrett and Kevin Stefanski.
05:32 And he mentioned that his goal is to play this Sunday,
05:34 which is be a huge boost for the defense that obviously lost Cameron Mitchell
05:40 from this past game who was filling in pretty admirably, I will add, for
05:44 Greg Newsome a week ago.
05:46 It'd be nice to get Greg back out there, contribute on the defensive side of
05:49 the ball, and you have sort of your top tier corners trying to lock down
05:54 the Ravens passing game and Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome, and Martin Emerson.
05:59 So that would obviously be huge.
06:00 But from a pass rushing standpoint, yeah,
06:02 as much as the Ravens can get after the pass, we know the Browns can do the same
06:05 thing, and I asked Miles Garrett specifically, I thought this was
06:09 an interesting nugget here, just about when you're going up against Lamar Jackson
06:13 versus other quarterbacks, is there anything you have to do differently?
06:16 Cuz he can make you miss in a phone booth.
06:17 He's so, so athletic.
06:19 And here's what he had to say about how he approaches this matchup with
06:23 Lamar Jackson.
06:24 >> I never stop wrestling, never think the play is over.
06:27 You think maybe a double team, but you fall on a play,
06:31 you think the ball's gonna be out.
06:34 I mean, possibly, they have a good percentage of plays that get out within
06:38 two seconds, but they also leave the league with plays,
06:42 half of it over three seconds, where he's holding the ball, he's scrambling.
06:46 He's sitting behind the line trying to find someone and
06:48 wait till someone's open or he's making it happen himself, finding a lane.
06:53 So you have to just know that you might be playing for six seconds,
06:58 you might be playing for 15 seconds on one play.
07:00 But don't assume the play is over just because something happens or
07:05 you're in a bad position cuz he would be the one to hold it and make it work.
07:10 >> I think that was really well said by Miles.
07:13 It is a relentless pursuit when you are going after Lamar Jackson.
07:18 There's no rest for the weary.
07:20 You can't quit on a play because, again, he can make a miss and
07:23 it can do a lot of damage to your defense.
07:25 As we saw that first matchup the first time around, he was able to have his way
07:30 with Cleveland's defense as the game kind of wore on.
07:33 And that was one of the biggest differences in that matchup aside from
07:35 the fact that the Browns offense really couldn't move the ball.
07:37 So obviously things are different this time around for both teams.
07:40 Ravens are a lot healthier than they were back then.
07:43 Browns probably a little bit less healthier, but
07:45 you do have your X factor on offense and Deshaun Watson back under center.
07:49 And that's supposed to be a big difference maker for you.
07:51 So defense will have their hands full.
07:53 Offense certainly the same with a very,
07:55 very talented Ravens defense on the other side.
07:58 But we'll see if the Browns are up to the task coming your way on Sunday.
08:02 I'm excited for the fact that I will be on the scene with you on Sunday,
08:08 pregame, postgame, all of it, covering everything Browns and Ravens with you.
08:13 So be sure to subscribe, I should say, to the Browns Digest YouTube page.
08:18 But in the meantime, this is the latest from Berea.
08:22 And be sure to keep up with all things Cleveland Browns over at brownsdigest.com.
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