Jarvis Landry, Jedrick Wills, Wyatt Teller, Austin Hooper among eight Browns testing positive for COVID-19

On Sunday, resilience was the theme of Browns coach Kevin Stefanski's postgame speech. This week that trait will be put to a supreme test.

Five key players — receiver Jarvis Landry, right guard Wyatt Teller, tight end Austin Hooper, left tackle Jedrick Wills and No. 3 defensive end Takk McKinley — were among eight Browns placed on reserve/COVID-19 lists Tuesday.

Also added was guard Drew Forbes, while receiver/kick returner JoJo Natson and tight end Ross Travis were placed on the practice squad/COVID-19 list.

All eight are vaccinated, a source said.

The outbreak comes at a crucial time for the Browns (7-6), who host the Las Vegas Raiders (6-7) Saturday in an AFC game critical to Cleveland's playoff hopes. An NFL spokesman confirmed for the Beacon Journal that the game is still on.

"This is a very important game," left guard Joel Bitonio said Tuesday evening by phone. "We’re one game back in our division ... and the Raiders are one game back of us record-wise. Every game down the stretch is going to matter, especially for tiebreakers and playoff positioning. We’re trying not to look at the big picture, but you know these games matter."

In Sunday’s 24-22 home victory over the Baltimore Ravens, the Browns had three players on the reserve/COVID-19 list. On Tuesday, coach Kevin Stefanski was unsure of the status of tight end David Njoku, punter Jamie Gillan and linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. Also on the list is tight end Stephen Carlson, on injured reserve.

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Stefanski remained resolute and said he didn't feel the need to talk to the players about what will be required of them.

"No, we’ve got pros. I think those guys understand what’s really important is this game on Saturday," Stefanski said. "It’s a good opponent, it’s an AFC game and we’ve got to come ready to go. And that’s why this week of preparation and how we handle these meetings, how we do when we’re together out on the field, that’s really all that matters.

"We’ll get our work in. That’s what we do, we’ve done it before. When we’re on the practice field, we’ll make sure that we’re locked in and ready to go."

Bitonio said there was anxiety as players reported Tuesday morning and the COVID test results began to filter in.

"They were kind of picking guys off one at a time," Bitonio said. "We kind of realized it was going to be more than one or two guys. Everybody got sent home. So it was more like, 'Man, what's going to happen?'

"There was definitely some uneasiness, but once we kind of settle ... Coach does a good job of telling us to really focus on what we can control."

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Bitonio said no players gave any pep talks during the afternoon walk-through.

"There was no rah-rah speech from the players," Bitonio said. "Coach just said, 'No one outside this building’s going to feel sorry for us and we’ve got to play the game and we’re going to have guys out there ready to play and that’s our mission.' We’ve been here before and I know we have the right man leading us through this.

"For him to kind of stand in front of the team and just tell ‘em like ‘No one cares. We have to go out there and try to win a football game.’ That’s the heartbeat of the team, that’s the coach and you take that as leaders and pass it along to your position room and you get to work."

Stefanski said there is still time for General Manager Andrew Berry to add players to the roster. Receiver Ja'Marcus Bradley was signed to the practice squad on Tuesday.

"I think there's time, certainly," Stefanski said. "Our guys on the practice squad work really hard and they're here for a reason. They're developing, they're working every week, they're giving a great look, but on the side they're trying to stay ready for their opportunity. They're here for a reason."

Stefanski said he has received a booster shot and that the Browns would continue to educate players and staff on the benefits.

Asked if there is more the Browns can do, Stefanski said, "You just have to be smart. That's what we've been trying to do really throughout this season because the protocols have been in place all the way back through training camp.

"We know last year is last year, but it hasn't gone away. We're making sure the guys are following the protocols."

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The Browns battled COVID-19 issues in 2020. As close contacts, the receiving corps was decimated for a road game against the New York Jets on Dec. 27, and the Browns lost 23-16. Stefanski watched the Browns' first playoff victory since Jan. 1, 1995, a 48-37 triumph over the Pittsburgh Steelers, from his basement after coming down with the virus and losing his sense of taste and smell. Bitonio, the longest-tenured Brown, also missed the victory in Pittsburgh while on the COVID-19 list.

Stefanski said the Browns message has remained constant.

"I think it’s important that you follow the rules that are in place to keep yourself and your family safe," he said. "We’re in a really, really good spot from a vaccination status, all those types of things, so using general common sense, using the CDC guidelines is always smart."

Bitonio said Stefanski told the players, "'Let’s be safe out there. Let’s make sure we’re doing all the right things and trying to make those right decisions when we’re out and about.'"

The Browns were placed in enhanced COVID-19 protocols and all meetings were virtual. The afternoon walk-through was closed to the media; interviews could remain on Zoom throughout the week.

As part of the protocols, all players, coaches, and tiered personnel are required to wear masks indoors and will be tested daily, but Stefanski was unsure how long that would last.

USA Today's Josina Anderson first reported the news, noting that on Monday the NFL's 37 player positive tests (36 placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list) was its highest number since the pandemic began. NFL Network reported that 29 players went on the list Tuesday, with 28 testing positive and one a high-risk close contact.

Landry leads the Browns in receiving with 38 catches for 397 yards and a touchdown and Hooper ranks second with 33 receptions for 291 yards and three scores.

Wills and Teller are among the starters on one of the league's best offensive lines, which is also without right tackle Jack Conklin, who recently underwent surgery for a torn patellar tendon in his right knee.

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Without Hooper, Njoku and Carlson, the Browns have three of their top four tight ends on the COVID-19 list. Harrison Bryant missed Sunday's game with a high ankle sprain, but Stefanski said Bryant would return to practice Wednesday.

This is the second time this season the Browns have been subjected to enhanced COVID protocols, also experiencing that ahead of a Nov. 14 game at New England. With running backs Nick Chubb, Demetric Felton and John Kelly on the reserve/COVID-19 list, with D’Ernest Johnson the only non-fullback who tested negative, the Browns fell 45-7 to the Patriots. That week, practice squad players Lawrence Cager and Bryan Mills also went on the list.

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/browns. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jarvis Landry, Jedrick Wills among 8 Cleveland Browns on COVID list