Tag: Joel Bitonio

Browns boast PFF’s highest-graded offensive and defensive players in 2022

The Browns boast PFF’s highest-graded player on both sides of the football in 2022.

Yes, you read that correctly. The Cleveland Browns have the highest-graded player on both sides of the ball thus far in 2022 according to PFF. Offensive guard Joel Bitonio and defensive end Myles Garrett have performed the best on their respective sides of the ball league-wide through eight weeks this season.

Garrett has graded out at an elite level, scoring 92.9 this season. For the fourth straight season, Garrett has graded out as an elite pass rusher with a pass rush grade over 90. Bitonio, playing through his ninth NFL season, sits with an offensive grade of 91.3. For the third straight season, both his run block and pass block grade are over 80.

As the Browns look to save their season against the Miami Dolphins out of the bye week, they will need both Garrett and Bitonio to continue their dominance.

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Browns Morning Roundup: Safety tryouts, Kareem Hunt, injuries, and more

As gameday quickly approaches, get caught up on your Cleveland Browns’ news here!

Welcome in to a gameday eve edition of Browns Morning Roundup as the Cleveland Browns are now just one day away from taking on the Baltimore Ravens. The Browns will be looking to right the ship and get back in the win column after dropping three straight games.

Before we do that, however, we must recap the news for all who missed the constant stream of blurbs that rolled out of Berea a day ago. From trades to Deion Jones updates to injury reports, and more, there was a whirlwind of updates to cover on Friday. With a great deal to cover from yesterday, let’s dive right in!

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Joel Bitonio recalls hilarious Browns dinner cooked by Joe Thomas

Joel Bitonio tells the story of finding a bullet in a cooked duck prepared Joe Thomas

During his media session yesterday, offensive guard Joel Bitonio took the time to speak about an incident with his former Cleveland Browns teammate Joe Thomas. And it is quite hilarious to say the least.

According to Bitonio, Thomas had invited him to a Thanksgiving dinner in which he prepared duck to eat. Bitonio goes on to tell the story of how he found a bullet in the duck he was served by the future first ballot Hall of Famer.

Thomas went on to dispute the claim, stating he does not even use guns to kill his ducks. The intimidation of his pass set does the trick when Thomas goes hunting, apparently.

Needless to say, Bitonio and the Browns could use some lightheartedness after a rough three weeks. With all seriousness on Sunday, however, the Browns need a win in the worse way against the Baltimore Ravens.

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Browns Injury Report: 8 miss practice Wednesday as Ravens approach

The Browns are without eight players in Wednesday’s practice

As the Cleveland Browns look to right the ship against the Baltimore Ravens, they will have to get healthy in a hurry. On Wednesday’s injury report, the Browns were missing eight players from practice, seven of which are starters on this football team.

A few of the names on the list are scheduled rest days, however, as wide receiver Amari Cooper and guard Joel Bitonio got a day off. While Jack Conklin and Myles Garrett left the game early against the Patriots, neither was in the postgame notes, meaning the Browns are likely just being cautious with them as well.

The more concerning names continue to be defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who has missed three of the last four games, cornerback Denzel Ward, who has been in the concussion protocol for over a week, Wyatt Teller, who is in a walking boot after leaving the game in the first quarter against the Patriots, and Joe Haeg, who is also listed with a concussion.

Thursday and Friday continue to be more indicative of who is healthy enough to play on Sundays, but this is a large number to miss practice nonetheless.

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Browns missing 5 players from practice on Wednesday

The Browns are missing five players from practice on Wednesday

As the Cleveland Browns prepare for the New England Patriots, the continue to get players back on their roster. Linebacker Deion Jones has been designated for return, Greedy Williams might be back, and they have a short list of players missing from practice.

As we hit the mid-week mark, the point where injury reports begin to drop, the Browns are only missing five players from practice. With plenty of time to return to the practice field, the Browns are without wide receiver Amari Cooper, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, guard Joel Bitonio, cornerback Denzel Ward, and safety Ronnie Harrison.

Only one of these players, however, has a lingering worry as Ward remains in the concussion protocol after leaving the game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Otherwise, the other players have had scheduled rests or are in a situation where rest makes sense. Harrison is not practicing with an illness, but that is not expected to be game-threatening either.

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Browns list 5 players on initial injury report for Chargers week

This week is shaping up to be a much healthier one for the Browns.

While seeing five starters on the injury report today feels a bit daunting, it really is not too concerning at all. Joel Bitonio, Harrison Bryant, Jadeveon Clowney, Amari Cooper, and David Njoku are all not practicing today, but only one has a continued concern about their availability this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Bitonio, Cooper, and Njoku are all out of practice today on scheduled rest days, while Bryant is listed with an illness. The only major concern continues to be the ankle of Clowney, whose status for Sunday is still in the air after missing the past two games as well. The other good news is that Myles Garrett has returned to practice for the Browns and is not on the injury report.

This week’s game is shaping up to be a much healthier outing than last week was against the Atlanta Falcons.

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Browns: Myles Garrett, Joel Bitonio, Jack Conklin given no injury designation vs. Steelers

The Cleveland Browns did not tag an injury designation on any of Myles Garrett, Joel Bitonio, or Jack Conklin with the Steelers just one day away

There was a collective holding of breaths this week as head coach Kevin Stefanski could not be more optimistic than, “We’ll see” when discussing whether or not Myles Garrett and Joel Bitonio would be able to suit up as the Cleveland Browns take on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

As it turns out, however, neither were given injury designations leading up to the game. NFL teams are not allowed to falsify or hide injuries from their reports, so this would seem to indicate it is full steam ahead for the two leaders of the team. Not only that, but right tackle Jack Conklin was not on the injury report either, signifying he may be making his first start since his season-ending knee injury a year ago.

On a night where Joe Haden is set to be honored by both the Browns and Steelers, he will at least get to see both of his remaining former teammates play in long snapper Charlie Hughlett and now Bitonio as well.

The icing on the cake would be a 2-1 record for the Browns by the time the clock strikes zero.

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Browns HC Kevin Stefanski on Joel Bitonio, Myles Garrett vs. Steelers: ‘We’ll see’

The Cleveland Browns might be without Joel Bitonio and Myles Garrett against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Cleveland Browns are proceeding with the possibility that two of their better players may not take the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers. When asked about the status of pass rusher Myles Garrett and left guard Joel Bitonio, head coach Kevin Stefanski was unable to deliver anything more promising than a “We’ll see.”

This is less than ideal for a team that needs to get in the win column desperately after imploding against the New York Jets. The Steelers’ offense is anemic, but the Browns still need to field a defense. This comes after the announcement that Jadeveon Clowney will miss the game and Chase Winovich is headed for Injured Reserve.

Here is to hoping for the best that Garrett and Bitonio will suit up in just two days.

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Browns guard Joel Bitonio excited to take on challenge of Jets defense in Week 2

Browns guard Joel Bitonio has a newfound respect for the Jets defense after hitting the film room this week.

During his preparation for the Cleveland Browns Week 2 tilt against the New York Jets, guard Joel Bitonio saw some things on film that indicated that the matchup might be more challenging than some would expect. In his comments to the media on Thursday, he told reporters that he has a newfound respect for New York’s front seven, and sees some parallels in how the Jets and Browns’ defenses operate.

“It is a huge challenge,” Bitonio explained of the Jets‘ dominant line. “I thought their defense besides a couple of deep passes played really well. They are active. They have a really strong front seven, and they rotate guys so they are always fresh. They have like nine or 10 guys who play on the D line. It is definitely going to be a challenge. They are kind of similar to our defense. They have similar coaches in that sense and kind of the same scheme. There are a couple of nuances that we have to be ready for. That is the key right there is that they have a great front seven so we have to bring our lunch pail and be ready to work.”

Cleveland’s performance on the offensive line will be a crucial factor in their ability to emerge from the game as victors, and New York is likely to be a tough opponent for the unit to deal with in all four quarters. It will take the full effort of every lineman on every play to keep interim starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett upright as he looks to improve his station in the passing game.

On a night where legendary tackle Joe Thomas is to be inducted into the Browns’ hall of fame, the line will be under a microscope from the team’s first snap, and expectations will be high for the unit as they look to get their first home win of the season.

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New Quenton Nelson contract dwarfs Wyatt Teller, Joel Bitonio deals

Berrry got ahead of things by signing Bitonio and Teller whose deals are now dwarfed by the one signed by Nelson:

Near the middle of a struggling season in 2021, Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry extended both of his guards, Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio. The deals were done a day apart but represented a focus on paying players what they deserve especially at a very stable position.

Both Bitonio and Teller were named All-Pros last year and both were voted as part of the NFL’s top 100 players this offseason.

The longer-tenured Bitonio’s contract averages $16 million a year while Teller’s comes in a little over $14 million. Over $30 million tied up in guard play may seem like a lot but the two deserve it.

Now, before the start of the 2022 regular season for most teams, came a contract that dwarfs both of the ones signed in Cleveland less than a year ago. The Indianapolis Colts gave their left guard, Quenton Nelson, a four-year deal worth an average of $20 million a season.

Nelson’s deal falls just short of the overall value of Zack Martin’s at the position but Martin was signed for six seasons. Joe Thuney also has an $80 million contract but his is over five seasons.

The Colts gave Nelson $3.5 million more per season than the next highest-paid guard, Brandon Scherff, and $4 million more per year than Bitonio is making.

While the $30 million combined between Bitonio and Teller seems like a lot, the $20 million given to Nelson alone on a yearly basis puts it into perspective. As always, getting contracts done earlier rather than later pays off for Browns GM Andrew Berry.

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