Browns injury report: Josh McCown ready to go
By Thomas Moore
Oct 11, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; A detailed view of Cleveland Browns helmets during the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Cleveland Browns defeated Baltimore Ravens 33-30 in over time. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns returned to practice on Thursday as they prepare to face the undefeated Denver Broncos on Sunday and the good news is that quarterback Josh McCown is reportedly set to go.
“(Josh) took all his reps,” head coach Mike Pettine said. “You can still tell he’s a little sore but we’re confident he’ll be good to go on Sunday.”
That’s good news for the Browns, who are going to have a hard enough time dealing with Denver’s top-ranked defense without having to worry about playing backup quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Having the experienced McCown should help, according to Cleveland offensive coordinator John DeFilippo.
“It is great that he sees the field. A couple of those were in crucial situations (against Baltimore) where we really needed a play to get us back into manageable situations on third down,” DeFilippo said. “I think those plays when you see Josh making those types of plays that is why you saw us last week have the success we did on third down was because we got back into manageable (situations.)”
In other news from Thursday’s injury report, safety Tashaun Gipson (ankle) and cornerback Joe Haden (concussion) once again were not able to practice.
“I didn’t know that Joe definitely wasn’t going yet this week so I’m still holding out. I’m still holding out for Joe and Tashaun Gipson to go this week,” defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil. “We kind of have Plan A and Plan B going right now as a coaching staff. It’s a good situation for Pierre Desir and guys like Johnson Bademosi and guys Justin Gilbert because they’re getting a lot more practice reps, whereas when a guy gets hurt in game, a lot of times those guys don’t get a lot of reps and you’re adjusting on the fly with them.
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“If those guys can’t go, then the guys that are going to replace them will be more prepared than if they got hurt in game.”
While the defense looks like it will be without two starters in the secondary, the offense may be getting a boost as running back Robert Turbin may be ready to see his first action with the Browns.
“Yeah he looks good. He was close last week. I think in a pinch he could have gone but we wanted to get him 100 percent and I think he’s right close to that now, this week,” Pettine said. “We’ll see how it goes and then at some point tomorrow we’ll just determine, ‘What does he know? What’s his comfort zone?’
“Having been here and observing it and walking through it is one thing, but actually practicing it and repping it is another thing. We’ll make that determination as the week winds down.”
As for the rest of the injury report, limited in practice for the Browns were Desmond Bryant (shoulder), Isaiah Crowell (toe) and Karlos Dansby. In addition to Gipson and Haden, Craig Robertson (ankle) did not practice.
For the Broncos, the following players did not practice: Evan Mathis (hamstring), Aqib Talib (ankle), Demaryius Thomas (neck), Juwan Thompson (hamstring) and DeMarcus Ware (back). Limited in practice were Bennie Fowler (hamstring), Cody Latimer (groin) and Ty Sambrailo (shoulder).