The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Landry’s injury goes ‘week to week’
Receiver has a sprained MCL; Stefanski mum on Beckham return
Jarvis Landry won’t require surgery to repair the sprained MCL he sustained Sept. 19 on the second play of the game with the Texans, but he is likely to miss time with an injury for the first time in his eight-year career.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, during his normal Monday press conference Sept. 20, announced Landry is “week to week.” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted Landry will likely miss two to three games.
“I’ve already spoken to him,” Stefanski said. “He’s attacking his rehab, as you can imagine. Nobody likes to be injured. But these guys are going to fight their rear ends off to battle and be with their teammates. I think Jarvis will be another example of that.”
Landry, the emotional leader of the Browns’ offense and their leader in pass receptions in 2018, ’19 and 2020, had his own Twitter response to his situation:
“Every Time I put this brace on somebody gon have to pay for it in the near future #Offline.”
Landry was injured catching a pass from Baker Mayfield for a 9-yard gain. He stayed on the field until trainers helped him to the sideline.
Mayfield completed 18 of 20 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown after Landry was injured. He threw completions to nine players, including the one to Landry.
So now the Browns are in “next man up” mode, and the next man up might be a very good receiver.
Stefanski would not say whether Odell Beckham Jr. will be cleared to play against the Bears. Beckham was injured on the first play of the seventh game last season.
He had knee surgery on his left ACL two weeks later on Nov. 10, 2020. He made steady progress, but Beckham and the Browns’ medical staff decided he wasn’t ready to play against the Chiefs in the opener or against the Texans.
Safety Grant Delpit, in a separate Zoom call with the media after Stefanski and running back Kareem Hunt, let slip Beckham will be back when asked about the impact losing Landry will have on the team.
“Juice (Landry) is definitely a big key to our offense, a big key to our team,” Delpit said. “It’s going to be tough without him for a couple weeks or whatever it is, but we have “O” coming back. He’s definitely going to fill that role, be that missing piece. So I’m excited to see “O” back and praying for Juice.
“I know what it is to sit out. I know he wants to be out there.”
Delpit missed all of his 2020 rookie season recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon. He recovered from that setback, only to suffer a hamstring injury in training camp that forced him to sit out the opener in Kansas City.
“There’s only one Jarvis Landry,” running back Kareem Hunt said. “He’s a heck of a leader and a heck of a teammate. He brings it every time he gets on the field.”
Landry wasn’t the only casualty from the 31-21 victory over the Texans. Linebacker Sione Takitaki is week to week with a hamstring injury.
Offensive lineman Chris Hubbard is improving, Stefanski said, but remains week to week with the triceps injury suffered in the opener, which prevented him from playing against the Texans.
Left tackle Jedrick Wills “is none the worse for wear,” Stefanski said, after being removed from the lineup in the second half Sept. 19. Wills sustained a sprained left ankle against the Chiefs. The injury kept him out of practice last week, but he started against the Texans and played through the pain as long as he could.