Cleveland Browns: Answering pressing concerns ahead of TNF

The Browns are fighting the injury bug as well as the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football while the team will be without several key players.

The Cleveland Browns will be without several key players on Thursday including their quarterback Baker Mayfield (shoulder) their elite running back tandem in Nick Chubb (calf) and Kareem Hunt (calf) as well as the impressive rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (ankle).

Several other players’ availability is still up in the air for Thursday including tackles Jedrick Wills Jr (ankle) and Jack Conklin (knee) plus wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr (shoulder) — although it appears now that Wills is going to suit up.

There are many questions heading into Thursday night and here are the answers to the most commonly asked.

Can the Cleveland Browns still win with Case Keenum at the helm?

There is no doubt that the Browns can still come away with a win on Thursday night with Keenum. There is especially no doubt in Case Keenum’s own mind.

In a press conference on Wednesday with reporters, Keenum said “I feel very ready. I’ve been ready. You don’t have to get ready if you stay ready.” Keenum was brought into Cleveland in 2020 on a rather hefty deal for a backup.

The deal was worth $18 million over 3 years. He has a proven rapport with coach Kevin Stefanski that dates back to their days in Minnesota. Keenum has been a winner in this league and even won a playoff game back in his time with the Vikings.

He also played for the Broncos in 2018 when the Browns went into the Mile High and eliminated the Broncos from playoff contention. Some could say it is a revenge game for Keenum tonight but either way, he knows what it takes to win in this league.

Will Jedrick Wills Jr and Jack Conklin play Thursday?

Wills Jr (ankle) and Conklin (knee) are listed as questionable heading into the showdown against the Broncos. Before Wednesday, Wills was limited in practice last week but then did not practice the rest of the week and was unable to suit up when the team suffered a dominating loss to the Cardinals.

Unlike Wills Jr, Conklin was unable to practice at all last week and was also ruled out of last weeks game. Heading into the short week, Conklin and Wills Jr both did not practice on Monday or Tuesday but then practiced in a limited fashion yesterday.

It will certainly be interesting to see if the two tackles will be active but I wouldn’t bank both being there and it looks as though Conklin will be the one who misses the game.

That being said, it will certainly make life a lot tougher for Case Keenum without either of the team’s starting tackles but Blake Hance (left tackle) and rookie James Hudson (right tackle) would need to try to fill the void. While it is a possibility that Wills Jr and Conklin play, it does not seem too likely at this time. However, if the two feel good enough in pregame warmups to give it a go, we could see them being active tonight, a big sigh of relief for Keenum.

Will Cleveland Browns activate Jarvis Landry off of the IR in time to play?

Jarvis Landry suffered an MCL sprain in the Browns’ Week 2 win against the Houston Texans. Landry was then placed on the injured reserve causing him to miss at least 3 games. Now, the Browns have until today at 4 p.m. to activate him in order for him to suit up and give it a shot tonight.

Landry was on the practice field this week doing some work which is an encouraging sign. However, at the same time there is no need to rush him back so if the team feels as if he is not quite ready, he won’t be activated. According to Camryn Justice, Landry has “a real chance” at returning to the field tonight though so we’ll see.

Update: It looks as though Landry will suit up for the Browns after all.

What’s going on with Odell Beckham Jr? Will he be able to suit up on Thursday?

Josina Anderson is reporting that Odell Beckham Jr is dealing with a Grade 3 AC Joint sprain. Beckham Jr said on Wednesday that he has been dealing with these shoulder injuries dating back to his days at LSU, so he is used to it.

His shoulder popped out again on Sunday and he is going to make his best effort to get out there and play on Thursday for his team. I would imagine that it will likely be a game-time decision and the Browns medical staff will consult with Beckham Jr to see how he is feeling in pregame warmups. We’ll just have to wait and see on this one. If I had to guess now, I’d say he’ll be active for tonight but a lot could change in a short amount of time.

With the Cleveland Browns being down Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, how will the position be filled?

It’s certainly not ideal to be down two players at the running back position as talented as Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. There are a few players who could see an increased role against the Broncos.

The main runner will be D’Ernest Johnson. Johnson has been with the team since 2019 and will be making his first career start in primetime. In a press conference on Tuesday, Johnson told reporters, “I’m very excited. First time getting a chance to start, always a dream come true.”

Expect to see Johnson taking most of the early run-down reps and rookie Demetric to take a lot of the pass-catching opportunities, especially on third down. We could also see a little bit of John Kelly, who the Browns just signed to their active roster from the team’s practice squad.

There is no question that the Browns will be shorthanded on Thursday Night Football but that is not an excuse for the team not to go out and get a win against a Denver Broncos team who are trying to stop a two-game losing skid.