Tag: Joel Bitonio

Joel Bitonio is a believer in the Browns under Kevin Stefanski, Andrew Berry

Things are changing in Cleveland

Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry have the support from the longest-tenured member of the Cleveland Browns in offensive guard Joel Bitonio.

The 2023 season was not like previous ones in Cleveland as the team had every reason to give up several times and that just didn’t happen. Though the ending was tough to watch this team overcame ridiculous amounts of adversity this year and found a way to win 11 games and go to the playoffs.

All-Pro left guard Joel Bitonio on Sunday talked about how he too believes that this isn’t the same old Browns.

“I think Coach Stefanski’s built a culture here. I think Andrew Berry’s built that with the guys he’s brought in. I do think we built something and I hope it’s the star of ‘hey, this is what we do.'”

Bitonio has been around a lot of false hope in Cleveland and has seen plenty of bad cultures so this is high praise from one of the league’s best. There are still roster holes to fix and improvements to be made but the future in Cleveland is very bright despite how this year ended.

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Browns Injury Alert: Joel Bitonio exits Texans game with ankle injury

Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl left guard Joel Bitonio exits the Houston Texans game with an ankle injury.

Cleveland Browns offensive guard Joel Bitonio exited the game against the Houston Texans with a leg injury.

The Pro Bowl guard suffered a leg injury after a couple of players rolled into the back of his ankle. He walked off the field with the help of the training staff. He went straight into the locker room. He is questionable to return.

Bitonio is the longest-tenured Browns player. Seeing him exit the playoffs early is disheartening as he’s one of the team’s leaders.

The Browns had horrible injury luck this season, especially among the offensive line. The Browns lost three offensive tackles during the season. Bitonio will be the fourth offensive lineman to finish the season injured.

The Browns have replaced Bitonio with long-time veteran Michael Dunn. Dunn has played for the Browns since the 2020 season. He is a serviceable backup lineman.

The Browns are currently losing to the Texans 14-17 during the middle of the second quarter. The Browns need a lot more help on offense for them to take the lead.

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Players vote two Browns to their All-Pro team

The players have voted…

As the regular season comes to a close, we enter the stage of the season where defensive end Myles Garrett and Joel Bitonio receive their usual honors for the Cleveland Browns.

And this year is no different as the players in the league have voted both of them as first-team All-Pros for their efforts in 2023. This is not the AP vote, but a vote from their peers, which may be held to an even higher honor.

It is quite telling that players see Garrett as the best pass rusher in the NFL and not T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They even voted Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders over Watt as well.

This is not the first time nor the last time that Garrett and Bitonio will have honors rained upon them. We are quite lucky that both of them play their football in Cleveland.

The least of their worries though, as both are locked in for a deep playoff run.

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Browns Injury Report: Joel Bitonio, Amari Cooper, more starters miss practice in preparation for Texans

Multiple starters missed practice on Tuesday.

The Cleveland Browns are giving their usual veterans like guard Joel Bitonio and wide receiver Amari Cooper their regularly scheduled rest as they prepare for their Wild Card matchup against the  Houston Texans.

This has been common practice for the Browns this season as the veterans on the roster have typically been given an extra day to rest up as the season gets long. Tight end David Njoku joined those veterans on their scheduled day off as  well.  There were, however, a great deal of other players who are still recovering from injuries as kicker Dustin Hopkins is unlikely to play.

However, players like cornerback Denzel Ward, defensive Shelby Harris (who exited the game against the Bengals with a shin injury), and punter Corey Bojorquez practiced in full for the Browns. They have gotten healthy at the right time after their much-needed week of rest in Week 18.

With just three days until the Browns take on the Texans, here is every player that was either limited in practice or did not practice on Tuesday for Cleveland.

The weirdest Pro Bowl selections and snubs for the 2024 team

The 2024 Pro Bowl teams have been announced, and here are the oddest selections and snubs.

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The Pro Bowl is not a serious endeavor. We know that because at the actual Pro Bowl as it’s played now, there isn’t any actual football — it’s more like Field Day in elementary school. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but when it comes to the voting process — 1-3 from the fans, 1/3 from the coaches, and 1/3 from the players — it’s pretty frivolous. There are lifetime achievement awards which have little to do with the present, regionally-stacked oddities, and face-value selections which, again, have nothing to do with present performance.

Still, players get hefty contract incentives from Pro Bowl selections, so you know that players, agents, and teams take this seriously to a point. Now that the rosters for the 2024 Pro Bowl have been announced, here are the weirdest and worst selections.

Browns Inactives: All-Pro guard Joel Bitonio officially active vs. Texans

Joel Bitonio will officially give it a go against the Texans

As the Cleveland Browns get set to take on the Houston Texans in search of their tenth win of the season, they get some good news. As they released their inactives list of all of the players who will not dress for this game, offensive guard Joel Bitonio was not on it. The All-Pro will play in this game. Coming into the gameday, we knew safety Juan Thornhill, among other starters would be out as they are officially listed as inactive.

The Browns cannot officially clinch a playoff spot today after both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills found ways to in on Saturday. However, with a win over the Texans today, the Browns will find themselves in a position to potentially clinch at home on Thursday night against the New York Jets.

Without looking ahead, however, here is the full list of inactives who will not dress as Joe Flacco and Case Keenum get set in this battle of the backups.

Browns Injury Report: Joel Bitonio questionable, Juan Thornhill and Ogbo Okoronkwo out again vs. Texans

Here is Cleveland’s final injury report as they get set to take on the Texans

The Cleveland Browns have been beat up all season by injuries, but they are meeting their match this week against the Houston Texans. Nonetheless, however, the Browns will once again be without starting free safety Juan Thornhill, while offensive guard Joel Bitonio is questionable after leaving last week’s game with a back injury.

Also dealing with a great deal of injuries, the Texans will be without both of their top-five picks in quarterback C.J. Stroud and edge defender Will Anderson Jr. Former Browns” backup quarterback Case Keenum will start for Houston for the second straight week. Jim Schwartz and his unit must take advantage of this.

Who else is dealing with injuries that have put their status against the Texans in jeopardy? With less than 48 hours until kickoff, here is the Browns’ final injury report as they get set to travel to Houston in search of win no. 10 on the road.

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Browns Injury Report: Joel Bitonio, Juan Thornhill still out with Texans approaching

The Browns are still without some starters in practice, including Joel Bitonio and Juan Thornhill, as they get set to take on the Texans

We are now just two days from the Week 16 matchup between the Cleveland Browns and the Houston Texans. The Browns will look to all but solidify their playoff slot with a win in Houston, who will be without their second and third overall picks. While the Texans will be starting quarterback Case Keenum, the Browns are still without a few starters, including guard Joel Bitonio and safety Juan Thornhill, in practice.

While there is still one opportunity to practice this week still, Thornhill has now missed two games in a row, trending toward his third. Bitonio left during the win against the Chicago Bears, hurting his back in the first quarter a week ago. He is hopeful to play against the Texans.

They are not the only players who either missed practice on Thursday for the Browns or were limited as they prepare for the Texans. Here is the full injury report as Cleveland gets set to travel to Houston.

Browns Guard Joel Bitonio ‘feeling better’ after leaving Bears game with injury

The veteran says he is progressing

In Sunday’s win over the Chicago Bears, offensive guard Joel Bitonio became the latest member of the offensive line to leave a game with an injury this year. It left Wyatt Teller as the only player on the line who was a starter for the Cleveland Browns to begin the season. The All-Pro left guard Bitonio wasn’t able to return due to a back injury he aggravated during pregame warmups.

Speaking at his annual charity event Tuesday Bitonio said that he is feeling better and that he was able to walk around which is an improvement from Sunday. Back injuries are tricky and can linger at times so hopefully he continues to progress with the Houston Texans up next on Christmas Eve.

The offense is struggling mightily to run the ball right now and though Michael Dunn is solid they could use Bitonio back in Houston. We will see if he can practice this week as the Browns draw closer and closer to a playoff birth.

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Browns Injury Alert: OG Joel Bitonio leaves game with back injury vs. Bears

Cleveland Browns LG Joel Bitonio suffered a back injury against the Chicago Bears. He is questionable to return.

Cleveland Browns offensive guard Joel Bitonio left the game with a back injury as they battle the Chicago Bears. Bitonio was slow getting up after a play in the first quarter. He was eventually limped off the field with the help of trainers. Bitonio was seen walking on the sidelines shortly after the injury by the TV broadcast. He is questionable to return.

Veteran guard Michael Dunn replaced Bitonio for the rest of the offensive drive. Dunn has played for the Browns since 2020 serving as the primary backup behind the two guard positions. He has a lot of experience in Cleveland and has been a serviceable replacement in the past.

The Browns cannot afford to lose Bitonio for an extended period. Bitonio is the longest-tenured Browns player and one of the leaders of the offense. The Browns have been bit hard by the injury bug across the entire time. The team has lost over 16 players this season to IR. With Bitonio’s injury right guard, Wyatt Teller is currently the only healthy starter on the Week 1 offensive line. The Browns need to get healthy as they prepare for the playoffs.

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