Browns news and notes, Week 8: Ty Nsekhe, Jordan Wilkins elevated as insurance depth

SEATTLE — The Browns weren't going to fly to the Pacific Northwest without some protection in case two of their top offensive starters aren't able to play.

The team announced Saturday before flying to Seattle for Sunday's game against the Seahawks that they were elevating offensive tackle Ty Nsekhe and running back Jordan Wilkins from the practice field to the game day roster. They will serve as insurance in case the Browns rule out left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. and running back Jerome Ford.

Wills (foot, ankle) and Ford (ankle) were among four players listed as questionable on Friday. Also getting that designation were linebacker Sione Takitaki (hamstring) and receiver Marquise Goodwin (back).

Wills was limited in Wednesday's practice and didn't practice Thursday before getting on the field in a limited capacity Friday. James Hudson III would start in Wills' place if he can't play.

Ford did not practice either Wednesday and Thursday because of an ankle injury sustained in the fourth quarter of last Sunday's win over the Indianapolis Colts. Kareem Hunt and Pierre Strong Jr. would get the bulk of the carries in Ford's place.

Nsekhe was added to the Browns practice squad after Jack Conklin sustained his season-ending knee injury in a season-opening win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The 10-year pro out of Texas State has appeared in 104 regular-season games with 25 starts between the Rams (2012 and 2022), Commanders (2015-18), Bills (2019-20), Cowboys (2021) and Browns.

Wilkins was signed to the practice squad earlier this week after having been with the Browns over a two-week stretch of the preseason. The sixth-year pro out of Ole Miss has played in 54 regular-season games with four starts, rushing for 1,009 yards and four touchdowns on 208 carries.

No Browns receive fines from the NFL for Colts game

The Browns has no players earn fines for actions during the win over the Colts. The Colts did have two players receive fines from the NFL when they were announced Saturday afternoon.

Defensive lineman DeForest Buckner was fined $16,391 for his hit on P.J. Walker with 4:43 in the third quarter on a completion to tight end David Njoku. Michael Pittman Jr. was fined $10,927 for his gesture as he was scoring a 75-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Friday's Browns news and notes

Jerome Ford, Jedrick Wills Jr., Sione Takitaki on practice field

The Browns had good news on Friday in that running back Jerome Ford, left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., receiver Marquise Goodwin and linebacker Sione Takitaki were all back on the practice field.

The question, though, remains on whether or not they'll be on the field Sunday afternoon when they play at the Seattle Seahawks.

Ford (ankle), Wills (foot, ankle), Goodwin (back) and Takitaki (hamstring) all had missed at least some amount of time this week due to injuries. All four were listed as questionable to play against Seattle.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson is lone Browns player to be listed as out for the game. He was ruled out Wednesday.

Ford may be the most surprising return to the practice field, where he hadn't been either Wednesday or Thursday. While he still may not play in Seattle, reports earlier in the week indicated the ankle injury he sustained in the fourth quarter of the Browns' win at the Indianapolis Colts was severe enough to potentially sideline him for multiple games.

"We actually working toward making sure I feel good and that kind of stuff right now," Ford said Friday. "So we'll see."

Wills did not practice Thursday after being limited in practice Wednesday. If he can't play against the Seahawks, third-year pro James Hudson III would make his first start of the season.

Takitaki practiced for the first time since the Thursday before the Colts game. He's been battling a hamstring injury.

Goodwin, like Ford, did not practice all week.

John Kelly Jr. brought back to the Browns practice squad

The Browns continued to stock their running back room with potential candidates on Friday. Of course, most of those have happened at the practice-squad level.

This time it was John Kelly Jr., who was brought back to the team's practice squad. Kelly was on the practice squad the previous two years and in training camp with the team before being waived.

Earlier in the week, the Browns signed Jordan Wilkins and Nate McCrary to the practice squad.

Thursday's Browns news and notes

Bubba Ventrone calls block attempt a 'calculated risk'

There's a world, Bubba Ventrone acknowledges, where Myles Garrett's field goal block in the win over the Indianapolis Colts doesn't turn out nearly as well.

"I mean, it's a calculated risk," the Browns assistant head coach/special teams coordinator said Thursday, "but I had confidence in our guys. We practiced it well, and practice execution equals game reality is what a great coach once told me."

Garrett leaped over the Colts line to block Matt Gay's 60-yard field goal try with 10:08 remaining in the second quarter. Denzel Ward picked up the ball for the Browns and returned it to the Colts 26, where Dustin Hopkins eventually kicked a 44-yard field goal to give the Browns a 17-14 lead.

Ventrone spent the previous five seasons as the special teams coordinator in Indianapolis. That gave him an intimate understanding of how the Colts special teams work.

It also gave him the kind of institutional knowledge to let him know when it was the right time and place to call the play. The play, by the way, is aptly named "Indy."

"I (was) asked a few weeks ago, do I have any tricks up my sleeve?" Ventrone said. "Everyone has them. It's just when are you going to use them, when is the right opportunity to use them? So, look, we're always going to have things ready to go and whenever we see an opportunity with personnel matchups, things we like, then we'll just use them as we see it."

Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. misses practice with foot, ankle issue

The biggest non-quarterback Browns player to not be on the practice field due to injury was left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. After being limited during Wednesday's practice, he did not practice on Thursday.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson (shoulder) and running back Jerome Ford (ankle) also weren't on the field. Linebacker Sione Takitaki (hamstring) and receiver Marquise Goodwin (back) were working off to the side.

The good news for the Browns was the return to practice for running back Kareem Hunt (thigh) and tight end David Njoku (knee).

Wednesday's Browns news and notes

Kareem Hunt's thigh 'doing better' as Browns eye Seahawks

Kareem Hunt's thigh isn't quite the injury concern that quarterback Deshaun Watson's shoulder has been for the Browns. That doesn't mean it's not something that is hanging over the team a bit, especially with other injuries at the running back position.

However, Hunt sounded optimistic he would be good to go when the Browns play at the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

“It's getting better for sure," Hunt said Wednesday. "Definitely taking it a day at a time and ready for this run.”

Hunt was one of two Browns running backs who did not practice on Wednesday. Jerome Ford also did not practice as he continues to recover from an ankle injury he suffered early in the fourth quarter against the Colts.

Ford's availability is very much up in the air. Reports on Monday indicated the running back was dealing with a low-grade high ankle sprain and was expected to miss at least a game, if not more.

All Stefanski said on Wednesday about Ford's status was that they'll "see how he progresses through this week."

Hunt did play despite the thigh injury in the win over Indianapolis, rushing for 31 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 15 seconds remaining. He, along with Pierre Strong Jr., would get the bulk of the reps.

“Oh yeah, I'm ready for any challenge man," Hunt said. "That's what type of person I am. And what type of player I am.”

The Browns apparently consider the injury concerns at running back to be significant enough that they're calling in some reinforcements. On Wednesday, they added running backs Jordan Wilkins and Nate McCrary to the practice squad.

Both Wilkins and McCrary spent time with the team during training camp.

Linebacker Sione Takitaki remains sidelined with hamstring injury

The two running backs and Watson weren't the only Browns to not practice due to injuries. That list continues to include linebacker Sione Takitaki, who sustained a hamstring injury late last week.

Also sitting out due to injuries were tight end David Njoku (knee) and receiver Marquise Goodwin (back). Three veterans also received rest days: left guard Joel Bitonio, receiver Amari Cooper and defensive end Za'Darius Smith.

Kevin Stefanski won't engage Colts owner Jim Irsay's penalty comments

The end of the Browns win over Colts drew plenty of interest because of back-to-back penalties on Indianapolis defensive back Darrell Baker Jr. He had an illegal contact penalty when he grabbed receiver Amari Cooper, then followed that up with a pass interference call on a pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones that was over his head.

The first negated a P.J. Walker fumble that would've essentially ended the game and put the Browns at the Colts 8. The second put the ball at the Indianapolis 1.

Colts owner Jim Irsay took to social media Tuesday to, at the end of a post about quarterback Anthony Richardson's shoulder surgery, mention what the NFL had informed his team about the calls.

"The NFL admits and understands that they did not make the correct calls at end of Sunday’s Colts/Browns Game," the second half of Irsay's post on X. "I believe we need to institute Instant Replay for all calls, including Penalties, in the last two minutes of All Games."

Stefanski was asked about Irsay's comment and what, if any, the Browns had heard from the league regarding the late flags.

“You turn in plays each week to the NFL," Stefanski said. "I think you can turn in up to 10 and they get back to you with what they felt wasn’t a correct call, but not going to share that.”

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns news and notes, Week 8: Injury insurance in gameday elevations