CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns are set to take on the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium Monday night under the prime time lights, and although the team is dealing with loss to injury, they also have a welcome return to their roster just in time for the game.
Right guard Wyatt Teller was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Sunday after being placed on it Dec. 8.
The list was created for a player who either test positive for COVID-19 or who has been quarantined after having been in close contact with someone who has the virus.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Thursday before practice that Teller was on track to be able to come off the reserve/COVID-19 list in time for the Ravens game, and as expected, he was cleared Sunday.
Teller has been a crucial part of the Browns running game, helping establish the run with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. He remains the highest-rated guard in the league with a 94.0 PFF offense grade and a 93.1 run-blocking grade.
While the Browns have the good news of Teller’s return to look forward to they will be without their star cornerback Denzel Ward and reliable wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge.
Ward sustained a calf injury after the game against the Eagles and has been listed as week to week since, missing both the Jaguars and Titans games.
Stefanski said earlier in the week the team was hopeful Ward would be able to go on Monday but he was ruled out on Friday.
Hodge was also ruled out on Friday and will not take the field on Monday.
The wide receiver was ruled out of the Titans game with a hamstring injury and has missed practice since because of it.
Still up in the air is tight end Austin Hooper, who has not officially been ruled out of Monday’s game with a neck injury—but early indications point to him being ruled out for the matchup against the Ravens.
On Friday, Hooper was listed as questionable for Monday’s game with the neck injury and according to NFL’s Ian Rapoport, Hopper is not expected to play.
#Browns TE Austin Hooper, listed as questionable for Monday Night Football vs. the #Ravens, is not expected to play because of a neck injury, source said. The team will monitor it going forward and hope for improvement.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 13, 2020
Stefanski said on Friday that they would be monitoring Hooper’s neck injury over the course of 24 to 48 hours and that they didn’t believe it was too serious of an injury, making him truly questionable for Monday’s game.
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