BEREA, Ohio -- Myles Garrett returned to the Browns facility Thursday morning after getting cited for failure to control his vehicle during his accident on his way home from practice Monday afternoon.
But he sat out practice for the second straight day and his status for the Falcons game Sunday is in doubt.
Defensive coordinator Joe Woods said Garrett is day-to-day for the game Sunday and that they’ll see how he feels over the next few days.
Garrett, who was driving 65 mph in a 45 zone according to the crash report from the Ohio Highway Safety Patrol, suffered a sprained shoulder, strained biceps and cut hand.
Woods, like everyone else in the organization, was grateful Garrett and his female passenger didn’t sustain life-threatening injuries when he rolled his Porsche multiple times in Sharon Township in Medina County.
“We always talk to our players about being safe outside of the building,” Woods said. “Thankfully he had his seatbelt on.”
Left guard Joel Bitonio also expressed gratitude that Garrett wasn’t seriously injured, and noted that Kevin Stefanski always emphasizes safety. In fact, he urged players to be smart and take care of each other during their mini-bye last weekend.
“He was here today so we got to see him a little bit,” Bitionio said. “Stefanski just stressed to us that we gotta be safe driving, we gotta be safe on the roadways and things of that nature. You just want to protect yourself. It’s really just protecting yourself and the people around you in general. But we’re just happy he’s back in the building and hopefully he’s ready to roll here when he feels good.”
He said Stefanski didn’t bring it up again, “but he talks to us at the beginning of the year about control what you can control and stuff like that.”
Cornerback Greg Newsome II spoke to Garrett, as did many of his teammates, who were rocked by the news of his accident on Monday afternoon.
“He looked happy just to be able to see us all again,” Newsome said. “I just told him, ‘I love you, I’m glad you’re here.’ We’ll definitely be there for him, whatever he needs, and can’t wait for him to get back out there.”
Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah said Garrett was his usual self at the facility on Thursday.
“It’s a phenomenal experience to be able to see that situation but then to also see him come back with not that many injuries,” said Owusu-Koramoah. “It’s always a blessing.”
Denzel Ward and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah return to practice
The Browns got two of their five injured defensive starters back in practice on Thursday. They were cornerback Denzel Ward (back, ribs) and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (groin). Woods said of Ward, “I definitely feel there’s a good chance he can play.”
Ward played 100% of the defensive snaps in Thursday night’s victory, and scored a TD on the fumble recovery at the end of the game.
Jadeveon Clowney and Taven Bryan among six idle players
Clowney (ankle) and Bryan (hamstring) were also among the six players who sat out Thursday’s practice. The others were David Njoku (rest), offensive tackle Joe Haeg and right tackle Jack Conklin (knee).
David Njoku idle with a knee injury
Njoku, who caught a career-high nine passes for 89 yards and a TD vs. the Steelers, was initially announced as getting a veteran day of rest on Thursday just like Amari Cooper (seven catches, 101 yards) did on Wednesday. But when the injury report came out a little later, Njoku was listed as idle with a knee injury. Njoku was a full participant on Wednesday.
Falcons running back Cordarelle Patterson sat out Thursday too
Patterson, the Falcons’ big, bruising back, sat out practice for the second straight day with a knee injury. If Patterson can’t play, it would be a huge break for the Browns. Patterson is third in the NFL with 302 yards (Nick Chubb is first with 341), and is fifth with a 6.2-yard average. He has two rushing TDs.
“He’s a versatile guy,” Patterson said. He’s able to put his foot down and hit those gaps. He’s tough to tackle. He’s had a little bit of experience so far and he’s done well, so looking to see how he looks there now.”
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