CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns’ defense took yet another hit from COVID-19 after a player was placed on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday evening, just hours before the scheduled game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Cornerback Kevin Johnson was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday evening, joining cornerback Denzel Ward, linebackers Malcolm Smith and B.J. Goodson and safety Andrew Sendejo, who are also on the list.
The Browns elevated cornerback A.J. Green from the practice squad (Contagious Disease Addendum) after placing Johnson on the list.
Cleveland was forced to close its facility Saturday morning after another member of the coaching staff tested positive for COVID-19.
After closing the facility to conduct contact tracing, the team announced that offensive line coach Bill Callahan and assistant offensive line coach Scott Peters will not be coaching in Sunday’s game.
On a positive note, the Browns activated safety Karl Joseph from the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday, giving some support to a depleted defense.
Green will join M.J. Stewart, Terrence Mitchell, Tavierre Thomas and Robert Jackson on the depth chart at cornerback. The rookie was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State and has spent the season on the Browns’ practice squad.
As of Saturday evening, Sunday's game against the Steelers is still on as scheduled.
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