The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Garrett tests positive for COVID-19
Myles Garrett, the NFL leader with 9.5 sacks, tested positive Nov. 20 and was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Defensive end Myles Garrett, the NFL leader with 9.5 sacks, tested positive Nov. 20 and was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
He will miss the Browns’ game with the Eagles on Nov. 22 at FirstEnergy Stadium, the team announced.
Coach Kevin Stefanski would not say who would start in Garrett’s spot. Adrian Clayborn and Porter Gustin are candidates to start opposite Olivier Vernon. Sheldon Richardson, normally a defensive tackle, might also play some end.
“Whoever is available to us will be ready to go on Sunday,” Stefanski said on Zoom. “We were without (running back) Nick Chubb for (four) weeks. Our job as coaches is to put guys in position to make plays and be successful.”
Garrett was ill earlier in the week and did not practice Nov. 18 or 19. Defensive line coach Chris Kiffin was prepared for the news he would be without his star pass rusher for the game with the Eagles.
“It’s 2020. When somebody says they’re not feeling good, you start to think the worst,” Kiffin said. “It’s unfortunate he’s not going to be with us. If there are cold or flu symptoms or anything like that, it’s natural for anybody to think about coronavirus.
“He texted me and said, ‘When I got the news, it broke my heart when I found I wasn’t going to be with you guys.’ Someone like that, this is all he knows to be out there leading the team. To take that away in a split second, in a weird way might be a learning lesson.”
Right tackle Jack Conklin and kicker Cody Parkey missed practice again Nov. 20 while remaining on the COVID-19 list, even though they continue to test negative after having come in close contact with someone who did test positive. Conklin and Parkey are expected to return to the team Nov. 21 and play against the Eagles.
Two other players — offensive lineman Chris Hubbard and fullback Andy Janovich — are on the COVD-19 list. They will be unavailable to play against the Eagles, but they will not be missed as much as Garrett.
A player testing positive who is symptomatic has to be isolated a minimum of 10 days. If the clock on Garrett started ticking Nov. 18, he might be able to play against the Jaguars if he tests negative. He won’t be able to play in Jacksonville if the clock started ticking Nov. 20. Stefanski said it is too early to know Garrett’s status for Jacksonville.
“As it pertains to Myles, we shall see,” Stefanski said. “Obviously we want anybody who goes on that COVID list to return as soon as possible.”
Garrett, the first pick of the 2017 draft, has four strip sacks this season. He has averaged 0.87 sacks per game in his career, which ranks first among all players since 1982 (minimum 10 games). Hall of Fame player Reggie White is second with 0.85 sacks per game.
In other injury news, linebacker Mack Wilson (hip) and right guard Wyatt Teller (calf) are listed as questionable for Philadelphia.
On a brighter note, left tackle Jedrick Wills, was named the Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week for helping the Browns rush for an NFL-most 231 yards Nov. 15 when they beat Houston, 107. This is just the fourth time the award went to an offensive lineman since its inception in 2002 and the first time since it went to Ravens tackle D.J. Fluker in 2013.