Welcome in to a gameday eve edition of Browns Morning Roundup as the Cleveland Browns are now just one day away from taking on the Baltimore Ravens. The Browns will be looking to right the ship and get back in the win column after dropping three straight games.
Before we do that, however, we must recap the news for all who missed the constant stream of blurbs that rolled out of Berea a day ago. From trades to Deion Jones updates to injury reports, and more, there was a whirlwind of updates to cover on Friday. With a great deal to cover from yesterday, let’s dive right in!
Two pieces of Deion Jones news
It is time to see linebacker Deion Jones suit up in brown and orange for the first time. Stating himself that he is “ready to go,” Jones will reportedly be activated for Sunday’s game against the Ravens. It cannot get any worse than it already is, so Jones stepping in should at least give a boost to this Cleveland defense, even if it is a minimal one.
And this is good news for the Browns as they are looking to get Jacob Phillips off the field as quickly as possible. Speaking to the media this week, linebackers coach Jason Tarver has stated they are looking to get him ready to wield the green dot sooner rather than later.
This is bad news for Phillips, who currently wears the green dot indicating him as the player with sideline communications in his helmet. Phillips has been playing poorly and he and his coaches know it. Teams do not make day-of trades unless they are truly fed up.
Jones is ready to step in, and now we wait and see the impact a player who has been backsliding for two seasons can make now that he is back in a comfortable scheme he has succeeded in.
Browns tryout 3 safeties yesterday
As safeties Grant Delpit and John Johnson III continue to play well below their pay grade, the Browns have looked elsewhere for reinforcements. They released Richard LeCounte III from the practice squad but held tryouts for three young free agents.
The most popular name among them is former Cincinnati Bearcats’ standout James Wiggins, who was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals a year ago and has spent time this season on the practice squad of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The other two names are former Mid-American Conference standouts in safety/nickel hybrid Bryce Cosby and Miami of Ohio Redhawk Mike Brown. To this point, no player has been signed.
Injuries on both sides of Sunday's matchup
Fridays are the days we look forward to to see who will be able to suit up and who will not. And entering this game, both teams are equally as beat up.
On Cleveland’s side, the Browns will be without starters Wyatt Teller and Denzel Ward. Defensive ends Jadeveon Clowney and Isaac Rochell are both questionable on the day as well. Offensive lineman Joe Haeg was also ruled out for the Browns.
The Ravens will be without running back J.K. Dobbins, who will miss the next 4-to-6 weeks due to a knee injury. Those questionable for the Ravens include tight end Mark Andrews, right tackle Morgan Moses, cornerback Marcus Peters, wide receiver Rashod Bateman, and pass rusher Justin Houston.
Game status vs. Browns: pic.twitter.com/ssStEbMjNQ
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 21, 2022
The trade deadline and relative news
The NFL trade deadline is just a week away, as teams can no longer make deals beyond 4 p.m. ET on November 1. We have already seen the Browns make one deal by acquiring Deion Jones from the Atlanta Falcons. But a larger deal went down Thursday night when the San Francisco 49ers acquired running back Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers for a slew of draft picks.
This got us questioning who else could the Browns target and who could other teams call about.
The Rams were in on McCaffrey as well before missing out, so could they call general manager Andrew Berry on either Kareem Hunt or D’Ernest Johnson to earn a consolation prize at the running back position? Both players are on expiring deals, so Berry could look to move them.
Another player who would fit like a glove in the Cleveland offense is New York Jets receiver Elijah Moore, who has requested a trade this week. Given the lack of draft capital the Browns have, it is unlikely they make a move, but at a position of weakness on the roster, the Browns could flip a day-two pick for a player who has already produced at the NFL level rather than throwing a dart at a rookie with that pick.
A darling during the 2021 NFL Draft cycle, Moore on this Cleveland team would be a dream come true.
What else from Browns Wire?
Browns Wire covered two other pieces yesterday outside on this busy Friday in question.
First, we look back onto a Thanksgiving dinner that starting guard Joel Bitonio and sure-fire Hall of Famer Joe Thomas shared. It starts with Thomas cooking duck and ends with Bitonio finding a bullet in his.
I kill 100% of my ducks with intimidation: no bullets involved, so I’m calling BS on this story @JoelBitonio https://t.co/jfbGYvoE3J
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) October 20, 2022
Secondly, there is another piece of gameday news to cover as the Browns will elevate cornerback Herb Miller from the practice squad for this bout with the Ravens. Miller has played special teams in two games this season, so expect him to be active in the third phase of the game as well on Sunday.
