Ronnie Harrison, Montrel Meander Might Be Able to Play Against Steelers After All
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, safety Ronnie Harrison and linebacker Montrel Meander, players who tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, have been testing negative since and if they continue to test negative, the NFL may allow them to play in the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Unfortunately, all the NFL is willing to commit to at this point is 'maybe', but there's at least some hope that these two were false positives and could help the Browns on Sunday.
Ronnie Harrison in particular would be a big deal to get back for the Browns. Harrison is the starting strong safety and has played better than Karl Joseph in coverage this season.
Additionally, if the Steelers give up on the running game as they have so often the latter half of the season, having Harrison at strong and Joseph up in the box is a big benefit to the Browns in terms of matchups. Joseph has excelled near the line of scrimmage and if the Steelers are consistently passing, his lack of size becomes irrelevant and he's just a faster player that can offer more in coverage than a traditional linebacker.
The Browns defense can afford to be smaller and faster, which could help them deal with the quick underneath passing game.
Meander is a practice squad linebacker and maybe the Browns would decide to promote him if he were available. The Browns might like him for special teams, but he hasn't been on the field as a linebacker yet this season. Certainly, not having the virus would be the biggest benefit.
