With defensive lineman Myles Garrett and Larry Objunjobi suspended for this week’s matchup against the Bengals, the Browns were hoping to invite starting end Olivier Vernon back into the lineup after missing the team’s previous two games with a knee injury. However, according to Mary Kay Kabot of Cleveland.com, Vernon has been ruled out for Sunday’s contest, leaving Sheldon Richardson as the team’s only primary starter along the defensive front.
It has been a chaotic season for Cleveland, reaching a climax in last Thursday’s on-field fight with the Steelers. Hoping to put that in the rear-view mirror the Browns will have to rely heavily on their depth to build some positive momentum.
Here’s some more injury notes from around the NFL:
- The Falcons will be without two of their primary offensive weapons this weekend. Running back Devonta Freeman and tight end Austin Hooper are both out for this Sunday’s game alongside rotational defensive back Kemal Ishmael, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitutional.
- Browns tight end David Njoku will not return this week from the injured reserve, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Njoku, who has been rehabbing a wrist injury, returned to practice this week, but is not quite ready for game action.
- Texans linebacker Dylan Cole is out for the season with a torn ACL, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle. Cole served as Houston’s primary backup at two linebacker positions and played a major role in the team’s special teams. He played in 11 games and recorded 16 tackles on the season. Going forward, the Texans will need to sure up their depth on special teams and on the second level of their defense.
Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch will not play this week against the Patriots and could miss substantially more time with a neck injury, according to Clarence Hill of the For Worth Star-Telegram. Vander Esch has faced medical questions surrounding his neck since his days in college. Losing Vander Esch would be a big hit to the Dallas defense.
While the injury is listed in a week to week manner, Hill notes in his story that Vander Esch is not scheduled for an MRI for another three weeks. Given the particular dangers with severe neck injuries and Vander Esch’s well-documented history of injury woes, Dallas should be especially cautious with the linebacker.
In his second NFL season, Vander Esch has lived up to his billing when healthy. After being selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Vander Esch earned a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie and has already accrued 72 tackles in just 9 games this season.
Without the Boise State alum, Dallas will likely turn to veteran linebacker Sean Lee to take over the team’s weak-side (WILL) linebacker position. Lee is far removed from his days as one of the best linebackers in football, but may be the most qualified backup in the NFL to help fill the gap.
The Browns released safety Jermaine Whitehead following an outburst of threats against critics on social media. While it does not excuse Whitehead’s actions, a number of fellow players understood what led him there, according to ESPN Staff Writer Jeremy Fowler. Fowler describes it as commonplace for players to return to their lockers after games and check their phones before even removing their pads. Players describe an accumulation of frustration with fans criticism that often goes beyond and enters the realm of hatefulness.
Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree had a similar, albeit substantially milder, incident last season involving his response to a tweet. Dupree mentioned specific tweets, some that included racial slurs, that eventually pushed him to react. The league has an instituted “cooling off period,” which restricts players ability to post on social media after games, but Whitehead’s threats came far after that period ended. It will be interested to see if Whitehead’s decision changes how the league, teams, and players approach social media and if more players choose to eliminate the practice altogether.
Here’s more news from around the league off the field:
- Free-agent wide receiver Antonio Brown had seemed hopeful that he could soon return to the field. While the currently unsigned wideout remains marred in controversy, a number of social media posts last week suggested he may have been approaching a new deal. However, there is no reason to believe any team would be interested in signing Brown at the moment because they believe he would be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list as soon as he was signed, according to Mark Maske of The Washington Post.
- The NFL upheld the league’s indefinite suspension of Browns defensive end Myles Garrett yesterday. One point in Garrett’s appeal, which has garnered significant social media attention, was an accusation that Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph used a racial slur against Garrett that prompted his violent response. When the league upheld Garrett’s suspension, many assumed the league had reviewed the on-field audio recorded and found no corroborating evidence. That now appears to be only half the story. The NFL did find no evidence Rudolph used a racial slur, but the league also had no recorded sound on the field to review in the case, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
Former Ravens offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and the Ravens released a statement denying a report by Michael Lombardi of The Athletic claiming Mornhinweg wanted to move Lamar Jackson to wide receiver. Jackson, of course, was the subject of much debate as a draft prospect with many pundits, including ESPN’s Bill Polian, calling for a position change to wide receiver.
Jackson, however, remained adamant that he was a quarterback, was selected in the first round by Baltimore and has taken the NFL by storm over the past two seasons. Mornhinweg, who was replaced by Greg Roman as the team’s offensive coordinator entering this season, made clear in his statement that “My thoughts before the draft, and even more when we started working with Lamar, was that this young man was going to be a special quarterback.” Regardless of what his opinions were at the time, Jackson has proven he is an NFL signalcaller.
Here’s more notes from around the AFC:
- The Broncos were deflated after blowing a 20-0 lead in their 27-23 loss to the Vikings on Sunday. To try and help team moral, all-pro linebacker Von Miller organized a team dinner just a couple hours after landing back in Denver, according to Kyle Newman of the Denver Post. Per Newman’s report, the dinner was a resounding success. Players brought their family members and seemed to rebound from their loss and get ready for another week.
- Dolphins head coach Brian Flores told reporters that Ryan Fitzpatrick will remain Miami’s starting quarterback this week against the Browns, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Flores, however, would not rule out the possibility of backup quarterback Josh Rosen retaking the job from Fitzpatrick at some point this season.
Browns tight end David Njoku has been designated to return from injured reserve and will return to practice today, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Njoku had been out with a concussion and broken wrist he suffered in Cleveland’s Week 2 win against the Jets.
Njoku had been expected to return from injured reserve at some point this season, but he first had to get through the league’s concussion protocol and rehab his wrist. The team plans to remain cautious with the third-year tight end and does not plan to play him this Sunday against the Steelers unless he looks fantastic in practice, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
Prior to this injury, Njoku had played in 34 consecutive games for the Browns since they selected him 29th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. Like the entire Cleveland organization, the young tight end appeared poised for a breakout after a solid 2018 campaign. In his second professional season, he caught 56 receptions for 639 yards including four touchdowns.
Now, returning to practice, Njoku will look to rebuild chemistry with starting quarterback Baker Mayfield and hopefully spark stronger play from the Browns struggling offense. Currently at 4-6, Cleveland is unlikely to make a run at the playoffs, but a strong close to the season could help them remain more certain they are still headed in the right direction.
The NFL has suspended defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche for two weeks, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Nkemdiche is a free agent, so his suspension will begin when/if he signs with an NFL club. 
The nature of the violation is not yet known, but it might have had some bearing on his short-lived stint in Miami. The Dolphins cut the former first-round pick last week after he appeared in just 17 snaps and eleven special teams plays. That was hardly the comeback effort Nkemdiche had in mind after a disappointing run in Arizona.
With the Cardinals, Nkemdiche started in just six games across three seasons. Last year, his season was cut short by a torn ACL.
Nkemdiche has 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles to his credit and, given his draft pedigree, figures to draw attention from teams. Still, he won’t be able to see the field immediately for any club that signs him.
Here’s the latest from around the league’s workout circuit:
Cleveland Browns
- S Tre Sullivan, DT Destiny Vaeao
Green Bay Packers
- DT Carl Davis, DT Justin Ellis, DT David Parry
Houston Texans
- DE Joel Heath, DL Caruan Reid
Indianapolis Colts
- WR Jeff Badet, WR Amara Darboh, WR T.J. Jones, WR Andy Jones, WR Darius Jennings, QB Taylor Heinicke, CB Trevor Williams
New York Giants
- G Larry Allen Jr, WR Keon Hatcher, QB Tanner Lee, WR J.J. Nelson, K Elliott Fry, K Kaare Vedvik
Oakland Raiders
Philadelphia Eagles
The Vikings nose tackle Linval Joseph underwent surgery on his meniscus, according to Ben Goessling and Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune. Joseph, who did not play in Minnesota’s 28-24 victory against the Cowboys, has been on the team’s injury report since Week 7 with a knee injury, but had yet to miss any practice until last Thursday.
On a positive note, Joseph has not been placed on injured reserve and Goessling and Krammer cite sources within the organization that are optimistic he will return soon. With their bye coming in Week 12, Goessling and Krammer note the Vikings Week 13 matchup with the Broncos as a possible target date for Joseph’s return.
Here’s more updates from the teams in the AFC and NFC North:
- Browns wide receiver Antonio Callaway was benched shortly before the team’s game against the Bills for tardiness on Sunday, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Cleveland still managed to pull out the 19-16 victory without Callaway, but the offense surely could have benefited from another dynamic receiver on the field. In Cabot’s report, a source told her that Callaway parked in a different lot than usual and arrived a few minutes late.
- The Vikings plan to move forward with Dakota Dozier at right guard if starter Josh Kline has to miss more games with a concussion, according to Ben Goessling and Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune. Dozier replaced Kline after he left Sunday’s matchup against the Cowboys with concussion like symptoms. Kline was diagnosed with a concussion and is now in the NFL’s concussion protocol. Dozier has already started three games this season along Minnesota’s offensive front.
- If the Bears decide to move on from quarterback Mitchell Trubisky this offseason there will be a plethora of strong veteran options, according to Dan Pompei of The Athletic. Pompei details ten signalcallers with varying degrees of past success. While free-agency seems poised to offer more viable options than usual, the play of young quarterbacks around the league has potentially pushed some other established veterans onto the trade market as well. Sitting at 4-5 and in third place in the NFC North, Chicago’s playoff hopes are dwindling by the week. Trubisky, in his third NFL season, has garnered the brunt of the criticism for the team’s underwhelming performance.
The Seahawks hope they finally found the perfect environment for wide receiver Josh Gordon. One of the most talented receivers in the league, Gordon’s career has been consistently impacted by his struggles with mental illness and substance abuse. After sitting out last week’s game against the Buccaneers, Gordon is expected to make his debut for Seattle and play a “fairly significant amount” tomorrow against the 49ers, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
Gordon told reporters that Seattle had long been a target destination for him, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports. Reports recently revealed Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson had lobbied team executives to sign controversial wide receiver Antonio Brown and in Gordon’s statements he mentioned that he and Wilson had discussed teaming up “for awhile.”
Here’s more from around the NFC West:
- Cardinals running back Chase Edmonds is planning to return in Week 11, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Edmonds has been out with a hamstring injury and hopes his injury will respond well to another week of rest. Currently with a healthy David Johnson and Kenyan Drake, Arizona would arguably have the deepest group of running backs in football if Edmonds returns to form.
- In their biggest game of the season, the undefeated 49ers will be starting three 22-year old linebackers in their base defense. However, the team is not particularly worried about their youth, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Kwon Alexander‘s season-ending pectoral injury alongside other injuries to veterans on the depth chart forced rookies Dre Greenlaw and Azeez Al-Shaair into prominent roles alongside second-year player Fred Warner. However, according to Barrows, all three have showcased high levels of maturity throughout the year. In fact, Al-Shair argues that he faced a bigger battle making it this far as an undrafted free-agent than anything he will face against the Seahawks tomorrow.