Cleveland’s quarterbacking COVID-19 conundrum is over.
The Browns activated Baker Mayfield and Case Keenum from the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced Friday. Receiver Jarvis Landry, cornerback A.J. Green and defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo were also activated from the list.
A COVID-19 outbreak significantly affected Cleveland’s roster in the last week and a half, landing over 20 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, taking both Mayfield and Keenum out of action and forcing the Browns to start Nick Mullens in their Monday night game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Mullens performed admirably, but the Browns couldn’t hang onto a late lead, falling 16-14.
Landry’s absence was just as significant, as Cleveland struggled to do much of anything offensively for the first 35 minutes before finding a rhythm by relying heavily on the contributions of Nick Chubb, David Njoku and Donovan Peoples-Jones. The Browns will be glad to have their starting quarterback back in action, and he’ll certainly be pleased to have his trusty target in Landry available.
The Browns (7-7) are headed into a three-week finish in which they must win two of the final three games, if not all three of them. Such a challenge begins Saturday with a significant hurdle in the form of the Green Bay Packers, who bring the league’s ninth-ranked passing offense to Lambeau Field against Cleveland’s eighth-ranked passing defense. The return of Green helps bolster Cleveland’s thin secondary, but it will take a total team effort to take down the NFC’s top seed in what is all but a must-win game.