The Cleveland Browns are in the thick of the playoff race in the very crowded AFC at 7-6, and are scheduled to play host to the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday.
However, the Browns are also in the midst of a COVID outbreak within their facility that has thinned out their roster (which was already dealing with a variety of injuries, as happens in Week 15 of the NFL) to an alarming degree. Five offensive starters — Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry, Austin Hooper, Jedrick Wills, and Wyatt Teller — and two defensive starters were already out after 11 main roster players were added to the COVID list this week (along with three practice squad players), and on Thursday things got worse when backup quarterback Case Keenum and four more defenders reportedly tested positive, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Kimberly A. Martin, leaving third-stringer Nick Mullens as the only quarterback on the roster.
And there’s more: Browns also have four other defensive players that tested positive for COVID-19 today, bringing the total of Cleveland players with it this week to 20, per @ByKimberleyA and me. https://t.co/taJ2mNhkqa
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 16, 2021
One of those defensive players who tested positive for the #Browns: Safety Grant Delpit.
(S Ronnie Harrison was placed on the COVID list earlier today.)
— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) December 16, 2021
Who the defensive players are beyond Grant Delpit, who was set to replace already absent Ronnie Harrison, that are headed to the COVID list is unknown at the moment, but what’s clear is that this is unmitigated spread in Cleveland and the NFL has to seriously consider a postponement. The league has been determined not to have postponements this season, but the Browns situation is certainly the worst we’ve seen so far this season. The biggest issue is, there are positive tests rolling in every day, and there’s no guarantee that there won’t be more on Friday or Saturday.
The league will likely hold out hope that Friday comes and goes without more names being added to the list, but that seems like wishful thinking and, as the NBA had to do this week with an outbreak on the Chicago Bulls that left them down 10 players, the NFL might have to pull the plug on Saturday’s game and figure out how to reschedule, an admittedly difficult task this late in the season with no more bye weeks. Mayfield expressed his frustration with the league letting this game continue on, as of Thursday night, on Twitter.
Actually caring about player safety would mean delaying the game with this continuing at the rate it is….
But to say you won’t test vaccinated players if they don’t have symptoms, then to pull this randomly. Doesn’t make any sense to me.— Baker Mayfield (@bakermayfield) December 16, 2021
