Tag: Jacob Phillips

3 Browns who disappointed in an underwhelming 2022 campaign

Who were the biggest letdowns for the Browns?

With the Cleveland Browns ending their season with a record of 7-10, it goes without saying that some players didn’t live up to expectations. Some had minor expectations others were counted on to play major roles that they fell short of. Some players were expected to take steps forward after showing flashes last season and things didn’t come together as the team hoped.

There will be roster changes for the Browns and general manager Andrew Berry who showed last year he will part ways with big contracts. Berry doesn’t seem to have the ego where he can’t admit mistakes showing that with cutting Austin Hooper last offseason.

Here is a look at the biggest disappointments for the Browns this season.

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Browns place LB Jacob Phillips on Injured Reserve after pectoral injury

The Browns have officially placed linebacker Jacob Phillips on Injured Reserve after injuring his pectoral

After injuring his pectoral against the Baltimore Ravens, the Cleveland Browns have placed linebacker Jacob Phillips on Injured Reserve. Head coach Kevin Stefanski stated this week that Phillips is “likely” out for the season. The Browns have not made a subsequent move and now have an open spot on their 53-man roster.

This also means Deion Jones will need to take over full-time in the middle of the Cleveland defense after rotating in with Phillips a week ago. This is the third time in three seasons that Phillips has spent time on the IR. Needless to say, the Browns will be back in the linebacker market this offseason.

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Browns LB Jacob Phillips likely out for season with pectoral injury

The Browns will likely be without Jacob Phillips the rest of the season as he has sustained a pectoral injury

The Cleveland Browns will likely be without linebacker Jacob Phillips the rest of the way. Today, head coach Kevin Stefanski stated that his starting MIKE linebacker has sustained a pectoral injury that will end his 2022 season. Phillips is the second linebacker to go down with a season-ending injury this year after Anthony Walker Jr. also went down in Week 3.

After getting his feet wet in this week’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Deion Jones will need to get ready to start full-time at MIKE with the injury to Phillips. Injuries have marred Phillips’ career thus far, and now dealing with another season-ending bout, the Browns are going to have to look elsewhere for a long-term answer in the middle of their defense.

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Browns expect LB Deion Jones to wear green dot sooner rather than later

As he continues to adjust to his new team, the Browns expect Deion Jones to wield the green dot in the near future

The communication issues on the defensive side of the football have been well-documented throughout the season for the Cleveland Browns. Early on, the Browns were swapping out the main communicator mid-game between linebackers Anthony Walker Jr. and Jacob Phillips. After the season-ending injury to Walker Jr., Phillips has been solely wielding the green dot for communication from the sideline. It appears that green dot may be moving onto the helmet of Deion Jones sooner rather than later according to linebackers coach Jason Tarver.

While Jones has yet to be activated from Injured Reserve, a move that will almost certainly happen after Dakota Allen was released from the active roster (and then signed back to the practice squad), he has just concluded his second week of practice with the team. This also means Phillips’ time on the field may be dwindling as he continues to drown from the middle of the Cleveland defense.

Expect Jones to suit up and contribute for the Browns this Sunday as they look to rebound against the Baltimore Ravens.

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Linebacker Jacob Phillips laments the loss of Anthony Walker Jr. to injury

Walker had been one of the Browns’ most important contributors on defense, and in his absence, Phillips will have big shoes to fill.

Perhaps the only disappointing part of the Cleveland Browns’ win over the Pittsburgh Steelers was the role that injuries played in the game. Three defensive players went down in the matchup, including two linebackers who looked to play a huge part in the unit’s success moving forward.

Chief among the linebackers lost was starter Anthony Walker Jr., who left the game with a knee injury and was promptly placed on injured reserve the following day. His presence in the middle of the Browns’ defense has helped buoy the team through three weeks of the regular season, and will be sorely missed moving forward.

Walker’s replacement, third-year linebacker Jacob Phillips, spoke to members of the media on Monday about the impact of the loss on the defense. It became clear early in his comments that the unit’s outlook could be drastically different without one of their key leaders in the mix, but Phillips expressed hope for Walker’s quick recovery and said the team will do whatever they can to maintain their success in his absence.

“Very tough,” Phillips said of Walker’s injury. “Obviously, in our room, we really and on the team hold him in a high regard. He is a great teammate. Obviously, when you lose good players on your team, you wish it wouldn’t happen, but you play football long enough, injuries are going to happen. He will get through this. Prayerfully, we are just going to keep going.”

This somber note on Monday made the win against Pittsburgh feel like a bittersweet achievement, though in the game of football, brutal losses are always the norm. Walker had been one of the defense’s fastest-rising stars in 2022, and looked to be an impact player for the team for the rest of the season. Now, with Phillips filling the void, Cleveland will have to rely on his contributions to keep the defense in contention through the rest of their challenging schedule.

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Jacob Phillips on playing in relief of Anthony Walker Jr.: ‘I like when I feel the pressure’

Third-year linebacker Jacob Phillips was ready to see his first meaningful snaps of the season in the #Browns’ win over Pittsburgh.

Wins against divisional rivals go a long way for NFL teams with the hopes of making the playoffs, and the Cleveland Browns will surely be helped by their victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night. Their resounding victory felt like a change of the guard in the AFC North but was made bittersweet by the loss of linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. midway through the matchup.

Walker was hit hard in an effort to make a tackle and had to be carted off the field, leaving third-year linebacker Jacob Phillips to fill his role. Phillips spoke to reporters after the game about getting his first real action of the season and expressed gratitude for his ability to make an impact.

“I like when I feel the pressure,” Phillips said. “I feel like that is when I thrive the most when I am out there and I am able to adjust and get a feel of the game. Obviously, I am blessed to walk out of this game healthy and for the plays that I was able to make.”

Asked if he felt prepared to substitute in when Walker went down, Phillips gave an emphatic response that may be a sign of more involvement in the defense in the coming weeks.

“Definitely,” he told reporters. “Even going into this game, my role increased, and I was excited for that. Whatever increase the team has me do I am thankful for.”

Phillips may be needed more as the season wears on, as Walker’s timetable for recovery is, to this point, unclear. With more reps likely in his future, he will need to try to duplicate his performance against Pittsburgh to keep the Browns’ defense running smoothly.

If he can do that, Phillips may find himself in a more permanent role moving forward as Cleveland looks to establish themselves as the AFC North’s top dogs.

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Andrew Berry draft review: Jacob Phillips needs health, impact in year 3

Continuing our Berry’s draft review with third-rounder Jacob Phillips who has a chance to carve out a niche if he can stay healthy:

With training camp just a little over a week away, it is a perfect time to do some reviews for the Cleveland Browns. This offseason has been the third for GM Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski together. While their tenures are going to be marked primarily by their decision to trade for Deshaun Watson and move on from Baker Mayfield, there is more to review.

For Berry, returning to the Browns was a chance to make his name outside of that of Sashi Brown. Brown brought Berry to the Browns but proceeded with one of the biggest tear-downs and rebuilds that had ever been seen in the NFL.

When Berry was hired, he made it clear that he would be aggressive in running the front office and that much has been clear.

With his third draft having just been completed, we take a look back at the first two drafts and what has been seen so far. His first selection was LT Jedrick Wills, who we looked at earlier this weekend. This second selection was safety Grant Delpit out of LSU, who we have also covered.

DT Jordan Elliott provides an interesting situation as a player who could start but also could be competing for a roster spot in 2022.

The team’s second third-round pick, Jacob Phillips, is another interesting player to look at from Berry’s first draft:

LB Jacob Phillips shows off impressive physique from offseason work

Injuries have limited Phillips so far in the NFL but the speedy linebacker looks to be in great shape:

It is often a joke in the media during the summer and early in training camp that NFL players are ‘in the best shape of their lives,’ ‘cut 10+ pounds of bad weight’ and ‘worked all offseason for this all-important season coming up’. Mostly, players work hard every offseason with a little extra emphasis when they are playing for a new contract.

For the Cleveland Browns, a lot could have been missed in the distractions that were the acquisition of Deshaun Watson, the delayed trade of Baker Mayfield and the possibility of discipline for their newest quarterback.

We even had the return of Hue Jackson drama surrounding his time with the team this offseason.

One player who could be entering a make-or-break type of season is LB Jacob Phillips. A third-round pick in 2020, the LSU standout has struggled with injuries. In two seasons, Phillips has only played in 13 games for Cleveland.

Based on these photos, he’s ‘in the best shape of his life,’ ‘cut some bad weight’ and ‘worked all offseason for this all-important season coming up:’

Behind starters Anthony Walker Jr. and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Phillips will have to make an impact on special teams and when called upon on defense. Going into his third season, Phillips needs to prove he can stay healthy and be impactful.

Phillips showed off his speed tracking down Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson during his rookie season:

 

Phillips has a chance to be an important player for Cleveland and looks to be in great shape going into the season but health will decide his impact moving forward.

Kevin Stefanski, Austin Hooper among Browns returning from COVID-19

Coach Kevin Stefanski and TE Austin Hooper among Browns returning from COVID-19

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The Browns have kept everyone on pins and needles with their abundance of roster moves over the last few days. And the Browns remain quite busy on Wednesday.

In addition to the Greg Newsome II news — the rookie CB is back from concussion protocols but added to the reserve/COVID-19 list — the Browns announced that head coach Kevin Stefanski is back in the building after clearing the required COVID-19 protocols.

Coach Stefanski isn’t the only member of the Browns to return. Cleveland also activated TE Austin Hooper and LB Jacob Phillips from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Practice squad WR Jojo Natson has also cleared protocols and returns to the team.

The Browns also made the earlier reports official and waived punter Jamie Gillan, who was still on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Browns activate LB Jacob Phillips, make four other roster moves Saturday

Browns make five moves on Sunday including activating Phillips for Sunday’s game with the Ravens:

The Cleveland Browns have had a lot of issues this week with injuries and COVID-19 concerns. In adjusting their roster to put it in the best position for Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, the team made five roster moves on Saturday.

The biggest of those moves was activating linebacker Jacob Phillips from injured reserve. Phillips was designated for return on Monday after being placed on injured reserve at the start of the season.

Phillips will help fill the spot vacated by starter Anthony Walker who is out for Sunday due to COVID-19.

Saturday, the team also elevated three from their practice squad. Receiver JoJo Natson is a standard elevation while cornerback Herb Miller and safety Javonte Moffatt were elevated as COVID-19 replacements.

The team also waived receiver Ja’Marcus Bradley from the roster.

A lot of changes for this week for the Browns. With the Ravens struggling, Cleveland has a chance to take advantage but have to do so with a roster in flux. Getting Phillips back could help on defense while Natson, Miller and Moffatt could help on special teams, primarily.

Natson’s speed may be needed for a few snaps on offense as well.