Joel Bitonio, KhaDarel Hodge The Two Players That Tested Positive For COVID-19 Per Report
The Cleveland Browns lost three coaches due to COVID-19, including head coach Kevin Stefanski, defensive backs coach Jeff Howard and tight ends coach Drew Petzing, but they've also lost their Pro Bowl left guard Joel Bitonio and wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
The Browns will now be down to their third or fourth string guard as opposed to one of the best guards in the NFL against arguably the best defensive front in the league in the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Not only is Bitonio great on his own, but he's been helping rookie Jedrick Wills ease the transition into the NFL as a rookie. Now, the team will have to decide whether it's Michael Dunn or rookie Nick Harris, assuming he's healthy enough to play.
Hodge isn't as dramatic a loss, but he has played some key roles this season and if Donovan Peoples-Jones is unable to play due to a concussion he suffered, it becomes more problematic.
Theoretically, Dunn could making the first start of his career, playing the first snaps in an NFL game in his career, in the first round of the playoffs against the likes of Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt.
This immediate question goes to Baker Mayfield and Nick Chubb and their safety entering this game. It's not whether they will be able to succeed but entirely whether the team can protect them enough to avoid them getting killed in the process.
For Bitonio in particular, the longest tenured member of the Browns as well as one of the team's most respected and best players, will miss the first playoff game of his career.
