Browns get back 3 players, not top corner for Steelers,
CLEVELAND » The Browns flew to Pittsburgh for the playoffs with some reinforcements — and missing some regulars.
Top cornerback Denzel Ward stayed in Cleveland as he recovers from COVID-19, leaving a massive hole in the Browns’ secondary as they get ready to face Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers in an AFC wild-card game on Sunday night.
The Browns, who were limited to just two practices this week because of another wave of positive COVID-19 cases, including coach Kevin Stefanski, were hoping Ward would be back in time after he tested positive with the virus last week.
However, he’s still not ready to return and the Browns may miss him dearly.
Cleveland finally caught a bit of a break Saturday as safety Ronnie Harrison, tight end Harrison Bryant and linebacker Malcolm Smith were activated from the COVID-19 list, giving the Browns some much needed depth for their first playoff game since the 2002 season.
Harrison’s a hard hitter and he’ll slow Pittsburgh’s run game, but the bigger issue for the Browns will be covering wide receivers Juju Smith- Schuster or Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh’s top deep threats.
That would have been Ward’s job, but he’s out along with cornerback Kevin Johnson and potentially corner Terrance
Mitchell as well.
Baseball
SCHWARBER SIGNS DEAL WITH NATS » Slugging outfielder Kyle Schwarber has agreed in principle to a one-year, $10 million contract with the Nationals.
T he 27 - y e a r - o l d Schwarber struggled at the plate during the pandemictruncated 2020 season, hitting .188 with a .701 OPS for the Cubs. A year earlier, he produced 38 homers and 92 RBIs, a .250 batting average and an .871 on-base plus slugging percentage, all career highs.
College football
BOISE STATE HIRES ANDY
AVALOS AS HEAD COACH » Andy Avalos is taking over as head coach at Boise State, returning to
the school where he was a standout linebacker and defensive coordinator.
Avalos was announced as the replacement for Bryan Harsin, who left Boise State to take the head coaching position at Auburn just before Christmas.
Avalos played for the Broncos from 2001- 05 and later returned as a defensive assistant and took over as defensive coordinator in 2016. For the past two seasons, Avalos has been the defensive coordinator at Oregon.
Soccer
US STRIKER HOPPE SCORES 3» Just when it seemed Schalke’s winless run in the Bundesliga might never end, along came Matthew Hoppe.
The 19- year- old forward
scored a hat trick — the first by an American in Germany’s top division — in only his fifth league game to lead Schalke to a 4- 0 victory over Hoffenheim and its first league win in nearly a year.
Another draw or defeat would have matched the league record of 31 winless games set more than 50 years ago.
Golf
PALMER, ENGLISH TIED FOR LEAD » Ryan Palmer shot a 9-under 64 for the best round of the week and a share of the lead with Harris English in the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
They were tied at 21-under 198, one shot ahead of Collin Morikawa, who finished with a birdie and shot 65.