Making the playoffs won’t be easy for the Cleveland Browns. They face the hated Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. They are coming off a loss to the New York Jets with a COVID-19 depleted squad. And now, Wednesday comes news the team had to shut down its facility due to more coronavirus issues.
Our facility is currently closed while contact tracing is taking place. pic.twitter.com/e3Lae3eS5G
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 30, 2020
They added three more players to the list on Tuesday for a total of nine: tight end Harrison Bryant, free safety Andrew Sendejo, and strong safety Karl Joseph.
Bryant and Joseph are both close contacts of someone who tested positive for the virus and could be back in time for the game, in which the Browns can clinch a playoff spot with a victory. Bryant is a close contact of someone outside the building, and Joseph is presumably a close contact of someone inside the organization who tested positive.
Sendejo also won’t be available for the Steelers game, which means he may have tested positive for the virus based on the timeframe. Players who are close contacts must remain isolated for a minimum of five days from the first day of exposure, and can return on the sixth day providing they continue to test negative.
Players who test positive for the virus must remain isolated for a minimum of 10 days.The three new additions join receivers Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge, and linebackers Goodson and Jacob Phillips, who were placed on the list on Saturday and sat out Sunday’s 23-16 loss to the Jets that cost the Browns a chance to clinch a playoff berth.