Tag: Jordan Kunaszyk

Browns Inactives: Denzel Ward returns, Anthony Walker Jr. OUT vs. Bears

Now 90 minutes from gametime, the Browns have released their inactives against the Bears as Denzel Ward will make his return

Welcome to Week 15 as the Cleveland Browns host the Chicago Bears on a messy, rainy afternoon. It might be gloomy outside, but the Browns get some good news as Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward is set to return to the lineup after missing the last three games with a shoulder injury. Linebacker Anthony Walker Jr., who was listed as questionable, will not play, however.

For a team as beat up as the Browns, placing four significant contributors on Injured Reserve this week alone, getting Ward on the field as Justin Fields and the Bears come to Cleveland Browns Stadium is a massive boost for the defense.

Given those injuries, we will also see the Cleveland Browns’ debut of rookie defensive tackle Siaki Ika, who has been inactive every game this season. Fourth round defensive end Isaiah McGuire will see his second bout of action as well.

With these two rookies off the bench, who is inactive for the Browns today? Here is the list of players who will not dress against the Bears as Cleveland looks to continue to hold their wildcard slot even tighter.

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Browns Studs and Duds: Whose play stood out in the disappointing loss vs. Broncos?

Examining the studs and duds in the Cleveland Browns disappointing loss against the Denver Broncos

The Cleveland Browns suffered a bitter defeat against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The team’s spirits were riding high after a handful of wins propelled the Browns into a race to be the AFC North champion. That feeling quickly ended against another wildcard competitor despite another strong showing from linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

The Broncos beat the Browns thoroughly. The Browns made things extremely difficult for themselves; they played poorly with no composure. The Broncos were far more prepared to play the Cleveland Browns than the other way around. 

The team seemed to deflate after quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson was knocked out of the game on a penalized hit. The Browns were quickly winning the momentum of the game before that moment. The Browns immediately compounded the problem by fumbling the ball on the next play to set up an easy Broncos touchdown. Replacing the starting quarterback while climbing out of a two-score deficit proved too much for the Browns. 

The Browns will have a bad taste in their mouth after this game. They know they’re a much better team than the Broncos. And they know that the Broncos bullied them into a loss. Hopefully, our group has too much pride in themselves to get punked again this season. 

Here are the studs and duds from this humiliating defeat to the Broncos. 

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Browns make 3 moves ahead of Week 12 matchup vs. Broncos; opt not to dress Joe Flacco

The Browns have made three moves ahead of their Week 12 matchup…

Ahead of their matchup with the Denver Broncos, the Cleveland Browns have made three roster moves and one rather glaring lack of a move. Activating linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk from Injured Reserve, the Browns have also elevated two members from their practice squad. One of those players, however, was not newly signed quarterback Joe Flacco.

As he just came into the building this week, the Browns are opting to ride with rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, with P.J. Walker as his backup.

The Browns will be looking to make it four in a row on Sunday as they take on the Broncos on the road. The Broncos are in the midst of their own winning streak, rattling off four in a row since starting the season 1-5. The Browns are underdogs in this game in the Mile High City, but that has never stopped them from grinding out wins this season.

Here are the moves the Browns made as they look to advance to 8-3 on the season against the Broncos on Sunday.

LB Jordan Kunaszyk placed on IR to make room for return of Maurice Hurst II.

The Browns send Jordan Kunaszyk and Alex Wright to the Injured reserve. They bring back Michael Dunn and Maurice Hurst II

The Cleveland Browns announced a roster move. They sent linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk to Injured Reserve and brought back defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II to the 53-man roster. The Browns released the vested veteran, who is unexposed to the waiver wire, with a promise to re-sign him after moving Kunaszyk to the short-term injured reserve.  

If a player is moved to the injured reserve list before the final cuts, they are ineligible to play for the season as they recover from their injuries. Jakeem Grant, Jacob Phillips, and Thomas Graham Jr. fall into this category. After the final cuts, a player placed on injured reserve can return to the active roster after four games or until they’ve healed. A team is allowed to bring back eight players from the injured reserve per season. The Browns will use one of those transactions on Kunasyzk. Once a player is moved to the injured reserve list, a roster spot opens up.  

Kunasyzk suffered an MCL tear in the Browns’ preseason finale. The injury can take upwards of three months to heal depending on the severity. Hopefully, Kunasyzk will have a speedy recovery. The veteran linebacker and special teams ace impressed the new coaching staff during the preseason. Jordan has carved his way into the roster for the second year in a row. The Browns will likely need to rely on Kunaszyk later in the season as the linebacker room does not have a good track record with health.  

Maurice Hurst II will have an oversized role in the defense. The veteran is likely to become the primary backup to starters Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris. As the Browns like to rotate their linemen in and out of games to preserve their stamina, expect to see Maurice Hurst II when one of the two starters is out of the game. The Browns need all the bodies they can get to repair a historically bad run defense.  

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Injury Alert: LB Jordan Kunaszyk suffers torn MCL vs. Chiefs

The Browns had a fringe roster player suffer an injury in the preseason finale

As the Cleveland Browns approach hard decisions to cut their roster down from 90 to 53, they had some injuries that may force them to move on from a couple of players. One of those players is returnman Jakeem Grant Sr., but linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk also suffered a torn MCL in the preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs as well (according to The OBR’s Brad Stainbrook).

With four linebackers likely to make the roster in Anthony Walker Jr., Sione Takitaki, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, and Tony Fields II, this injury to Kunaszyk may make the pathway for undrafted free agent Mohamoud Diabate to lock into the final 53-man roster.

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Injury Alert: Jordan Kunaszyk leaves game with knee injury vs. Chiefs

Jordan Kunasyk leaves preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs with a knee injury.

Linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk exited the preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs with a knee injury during the first quarter. The veteran linebacker walked off the field with help from the medical staff. Kunaszyk is entering his second season with the Cleveland Browns and is fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster.

The linebacker started two games last season and was special-teams ace. Jordan has been in an intense battle for the final roster spots in the linebacker room. He will not return in this game.

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4 snap count observations and takeaways from preseason game vs. Eagles

What can we take away from the Browns’ snap counts against the Eagles?

The Cleveland Browns played their first teamers sparingly against the Philadelphia Eagles in Thursday night’s preseason tie. Rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson got the start and once again put on a show. The snap counts have been released, and there are sprinkles of information to be taken from them. Especially in regards to wide receiver David Bell and offensive lineman Luke Wypler.

Shoutout to a former co-worker of mine during my time at The OBR, Anthony Reinhard, who continues to put out outstanding data visuals.

Here are the four biggest takeaways from the Browns’ snap count against the Eagles.

4 takeaways from Browns’ first depth chart of the 2023 season

What conclusions can we draw from the release of the initial depth chart?

The Cleveland Browns get set to take on the New York Jets on Thursday Night as they participate in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game. And on the heels of their preseason opener, the Browns have released their initial depth chart.

While it is unofficial and predominantly standard, there are a few key items that cause an eyebrow to raise from this depth chart. Here we discuss four things that stood out as the Browns are through one week of training camp and get set to take on the Jets.

Jim Schwartz rewards LB Jordan Kunaszyk for working ‘the right way’

One linebacker has already earned the respect of the new defensive coordinator.

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During Wednesday’s OTA practice, Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was seen wearing a number 51 jersey. Head coach Kevin Stefanski was asked about this after practice and he explained Schwartz wants to celebrate players who do things the right way. It appears linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk has already earned the respect of the new head man on the defensive side of the football.

“You know, that’s something that coach has done over his career, and I’ll let him explain it more in more detail when you guys talk to coach next week. But really what he’s doing is he’s telling the players about another player that’s doing it the right way, a guy that’s doing it how we want it done, that’s embodying what we do out on the practice field and in the meeting room. So coach Schwartz is a fan of Jordan (51) today. You’ll see, he’s a fan of a bunch of guys over the course of these practices, but Jordan’s a guy that continues to always do what he’s supposed to do. So coach has given him some love.“

It is nice to see Schwartz celebrating hard workers and it makes sense why players want to play for him. Hopefully, he can get everyone on the same page this year and turn the defense around.

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Browns re-sign LB Jordan Kunaszyk to one-year deal

The Browns bring back a core special teamer and depth piece at linebacker.

The Cleveland Browns have added another depth piece in NFL free agency, this time retaining another one of their own in linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk. This now puts the Browns at ten signings through the first week of free agency as they signed both Kunaszyk and tight end Jordan Akins this weekend.

Kunaszyk spent most of his time on special teams with the Browns, racking up 316 snaps in the third phase of the game. According to PFF, Kunaszyk was graded as an elite special teamer in 2022. However, after three linebackers suffered season-ending injuries a year ago as well, Kunaszyk stepped in reserve at the second level of their defense as well. At just a one-year deal worth just over $1.2 million (with $500k guaranteed), this is a no-brainer move for the Browns as they continue to make sure they have depth to their roster.

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