Tag: M.J. Stewart

4 takeaways from the Browns’ Week 17 loss to the Steelers

Here are four things about the Browns’ Monday night performance that stuck on Tuesday morning after trying to sleep away the disappointment

Cleveland’s final appearance on the national stage for the 2021 NFL season did not go well, to say the least. The Browns lost 26-14 to the rival Steelers in Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football in Week 17 in a game that featured some truly bad offensive performances from both teams.

The loss dropped Kevin Stefanski’s Browns to a disappointing 7-9, and came in the same stadium where exactly one year to the day earlier the Browns wrapped up a postseason berth. It was an ugly change of fate, one that represents one of the lowest points for the franchise in a disappointing year.

Here are four things about the Browns’ Monday night performance that stuck with me on Tuesday morning after trying to sleep away the disappointment.

Steelers’ Najee Harris destroys Browns’ M.J. Stewart with stunning stiff-arm

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Najee Harris with a classic stiff-arm

Cleveland Browns DB M.J. Stewart will be on every highlight show for Week 17 of the NFL season. And he knows it.

Stewart, who is in his second season with Cleveland, was put on his back as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Najee Harris delivered a classic stiff-arm.

Nick Chubb of the Browns showed he can stiff-arm with the best of them, too.

Browns activate 2 from IR, waive Andrew Billings in flurry of roster moves

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and M.J. Stewart are back, while Andrew Billings hits the waiver wire

The Cleveland Browns kept the recording secretary at the NFL’s transaction wire busy on Saturday. The Browns activated two players from injured reserve and waived DT Andrew Billings in the flurry of activity.

Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and cornerback M.J. Stewart have rejoined the active 53-man roster from the team’s IR. Both had been designated to return earlier by Cleveland and are now healthy enough to help the team.

To make room for Owusu-Koramoah and Stewart, the Browns waived veteran DT Andrew Billings. The other spot was still open from the departure of WR Odell Beckham Jr. earlier in the week.

Cleveland also elevated four players from the practice squad to help cover for the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak afflicting the team. Those elevated:

RB Brian Hill

CB Herb Miller

WR Jojo Natson

FB Johnny Stanton

Hill is designated a standard elevation, while the other three are COVID-19 promotions that will not count against the number of times they can be elevated. Hill just recently joined the Browns and now could be in line to get legit carries with three RBs all sidelined on the COVID-19 list.

Billings will be subject to waiver claims. He played just 72 snaps in six games and recorded one tackle.

How the Browns set an NFL postseason record with 28 first-quarter points

Most everybody expected a blowout in the Steelers-Browns wild-card game. Most everybody was right… about the wrong team.

The Browns came into their Sunday night wild-card game against the Steelers with multiple players and coaches out due to COVID. The last time Ben Roethlisberger started a game, he lit the Colts up in Week 16 with the deep throws he hadn’t shown all season.

So, this game looked for all the world like a blowout. So far it is, but not in the way anybody expected. When Browns running back Kareem Hunt ambled eight yards for his second rushing touchdown of the night, that and the subsequent extra point put the Browns up 28-0, which is a record for first-quarter scoring in the postseason at any level of professional football.

The Browns were buttressed by three early turnovers. There was this bad snap from center Maurkice Pouncey to Roethlisberger with 14 seconds gone, which safety Karl Joseph recovered in the end zone.

If the NFL wanted more, the NFL was about to get it. On Pittsburgh’s subsequent possession, Roethlisberger threw a pick to cornerback M.J. Stewart…

…and this set up Baker Mayfield’s 40-yard touchdown pass to Jarvis Landry.

Pittsburgh had a three-and-out on its next possession, but they weren’t done gifting. Hunt scored his first rushing touchdown on the following drive. And then, with 3:33 left in the first quarter, Roethlisberger threw over the middle to receiver Diontae Johnson, who revised the Steelers’ drop issues earlier in the season for another pick…

…and that led to Hunt’s second rushing touchdown. Safe to say that if the Steelers are going to get punked up front like this all night, there’s no chance for a comeback.

Per NBC, the home team has a .908 winning percentage when winning the turnover battle, and a .342 win percentage when losing it. Road teams have a .658 win percentage when winning the turnover battle, and an .092 win percentage when losing it.

At the end of the first quarter, the Browns had a 91% Win Probability Rate. Lot of ballgame left, as they say, but this is something nobody expected.

Browns injury update: 4 players ruled out including CB Greedy Williams

JC Tretter and M.J. Stewart are listed as questionable

After several weeks of numerous injuries of all types in training camp, the Cleveland Browns revealed their official injury status report for the players for Week 1.

Four players, including starting cornerback Greedy Williams, have been officially ruled out for Sunday’s game in Baltimore. Williams did not practice all week as he continues to battle a shoulder injury suffered in training camp.

Also ruled out: CB Kevin Johnson (liver), LB Mack Wilson (knee) and OL Chris Hubbard (ankle). Johnson and Wilson’s injuries have been known to rule them out of Week 1 for some time, so they are not surprises. Hubbard was slated to be the team’s top reserve offensive lineman.

Two players, starting center JC Tretter and slot CB M.J. Stewart, are officially questionable with their injuries. Both were limited participants in practice sessions this week. Tretter’s knee leaves him a game-time decision. If he can’t play, rookie Nick Harris will slide into the starting spot.

Browns injury report: JC Tretter, M.J. Stewart limited but practicing

Browns injury report: JC Tretter, M.J. Stewart practiced on a limited basis while three others remain out

As the Cleveland Browns prepare to travel to Baltimore for Sunday’s matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, a couple of injured players are progressing towards playing. Wednesday’s practice had two players doing more than they have in weeks.

Starting center JC Tretter practiced once again, on a limited basis. Tretter returned to practice on Monday for the first time all summer. He had a knee scope just before the start of training camp.

Cornerback M.J. Stewart was also a limited participant. Stewart, acquired in August off waivers from Tampa Bay, missed over two weeks of practices with a hamstring problem. His progress is a good sign, because presumptive starting slot CB Kevin Johnson remains out with his liver injury. Stewart is best-suited to play inside.

Joining Johnson on the sidelines:

  • CB Greedy Williams
  • OT Chris Hubbard
  • LB Mack Wilson

The Browns will make a determination on who will play in Week 1 after Friday’s practice.

Greedy Williams among 3 Browns CBs still not practicing

Ronnie Harrison’s first practice overshadowed by 3 CBs still being out

The injury concerns continue for the Cleveland Browns secondary. While newcomer Ronnie Harrison took to the practice field for the first time on Sunday at safety, three of the team’s cornerbacks remain sidelined with injuries and did not participate.

Starting outside CB Greedy Williams continues to sit out with a shoulder injury. He has not practiced since hurting the shoulder in practice two weeks ago.

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Both the cornerbacks penciled in for slot duty remain out as well. M.J. Stewart is idled with a hamstring injury suffered the same day Williams hurt his shoulder. Veteran Kevin Johnson continues to sit out with his lacerated liver.

Harrison, acquired in a trade with Jacksonville during the week, wore No. 37 in his Browns practice debut.

Browns injury update: Myles Garrett, B.J. Goodson return to practice, Greedy Williams remains out

Browns injury update: Myles Garrett, B.J. Goodson return to practice, Greedy Williams among several still out

The daily chronicling of the comings and goings from the Cleveland Browns injury list remains an engrossing task even with training camp almost over. Tuesday’s edition of the Browns injury update thankfully features two players returning and no new additions to the list.

Myles Garrett (wrist) and B.J. Goodson (personal) returned to the practice field in Berea on Tuesday afternoon. Garrett made his first appearance since Saturday. He missed Sunday’s enhanced practice session at FirstEnergy Stadium for what head coach Kevin Stefanski termed “precautionary reasons”. No. 95 was visible going through drills in the portion of practice open to the media,

Goodson also missed a couple of days for personal reasons.

Several players remain out, most notably starting CB Greedy Williams. The second-year CB continues to sit with his shoulder injury. Starting center JC Tretter is still rehabbing from his knee procedure. He’s joined by OL Chris Hubbard (ankle), LB Mack Wilson (knee), CB M.J. Stewart (knee) and CB Kevin Johnson (liver). Rookie safety Grant Delpit is on injured reserve with his torn Achilles tendon.

Terrance Mitchell back at Browns practice, Greedy Williams and M.J. Stewart still out

The Browns secondary remains loaded with injuries but did get Terrance Mitchell back on Thursday

Thursday’s practice session in Berea saw one member of the Browns injury-ravaged secondary get back on the field. Cornerback Terrance Mitchell made his return to the active practice session after missing time nursing a knee injury.

It was a welcome boost to the defensive back depth chart. Greedy Williams and M.J. Stewart both remained sidelined for the afternoon practice. Williams is still out with a shoulder injury suffered in Monday’s practice, while Stewart is resting a hamstring issue that also appeared to first materialize on Monday.

Kevin Johnson, who was having an excellent training camp, is week-to-week with a lacerated liver suffered last week. Stewart had been getting Johnson’s first-team reps as the slot cornerback before going down himself. Johnson has returned to being on the sidelines but is not yet cleared for practice.

Donovan Olumba and Donnie Lewis Jr. have been the primary beneficiaries of increased reps while the players above them sit out.

Two other players who missed Wednesday’s practice, TE David Njoku and LB Tae Davis, were back and actively practicing on Thursday.

Browns secondary suffers a brutal Monday practice session

Cleveland Browns secondary got ravaged by the injury bug in Monday’s practice w/ Grant Delpit, Greedy Williams and M.J. Stewart all injured

Monday was a terrible day on the injury front for the Cleveland Browns secondary. Already missing top slot CB Kevin Johnson with his liver injury, three other prominent players left Monday’s practice session in Berea with injuries.

The most prominent is a potentially huge blow to the defense with rookie safety Grant Delpit suffering what appeared to be an Achilles injury. Delpit went to the ground just before team drills and was clutching at the back of his calf in obvious agony.

Delpit was the most serious of the injuries, but he wasn’t alone. Starting cornerback Greedy Williams also left the practice field before the session ended. He left under his own power but Williams was assisted by trainers back into the facility.

Recent arrival M.J. Stewart also caught the injury bug on Monday. Stewart was spotted with his leg heavily wrapped in ice before practice ended. He had been replacing Johnson’s role in the lineup.

Terrance Mitchell sat out Monday’s session for undisclosed reasons. That left Denzel Ward, Donovan Olumba, Tavierre Thomas, Robert Jackson, A.J. Green and Donnie Lewis Jr. as the cornerbacks to finish practice.

We’ll keep you updated on the injury status of all the Browns’ walking wounded as they become available.