Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams still out as Browns take practice field, but a few return
The Cleveland Browns took the practice field in preparation for their Monday night matchup with the San Francisco 49ers in the bay area. Jarvis Landry is in concussion protocol is basically a given he's out until next week at the earliest. Greedy Williams and Denzel Ward continue to be idle with Kendall Lamm and Willie Harvey.
The good news is the Browns did get some help back in the form of Morgan Burnett and Rashard Higgins returning from injury and then Antonio Callaway back from his suspension. All three help the Browns in key areas, especially with Landry out this week.
Higgins and Callaway give them a reliable target and a potentially explosive weapon. Higgins can operate on the boundary, but got significantly better working out of this slot in training camp and the preseason, so he could take some of the slot reps Landry was getting.
Callaway is a strong, densely built receiver with a running back's mentality with the ball in his hands as well as the ability to stretch the field deep. Everything was going great for Callaway starting with the final six weeks of last season through OTAs, but between the failed drug test and then a high ankle sprain, he had fallen off the radar, so his status will be interesting to monitor.
Morgan Burnett gives them badly needed help back at safety. Jermaine Whitehead played at a high level against the Baltimore Ravens, but has struggled in other games and Burnett has been more reliable and effective. In particular, Burnett has been an effective blitzing option.
Freddie Kitchens suggested before the Ravens game that the Browns might not get back Ward and Williams until next week for the Seattle Seahawks, so they might still need to rely on their depth, which has filled in admirably. The challenge this week is Kyle Shanahan is very good at scheming his receivers open, putting stress on what he feels is the weak link, making it more difficult to hide a weakness.
