CLEVELAND — While the Cleveland Browns activated three players from the COVID-19 list on Wednesday, they also added another to it, with the team announcing that rookie cornerback Greg Newsome II has been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Newsome's addition to the COVID-19 list comes amid a two-week span in which more than 20 Browns players, as well as head coach Kevin Stefanski, have tested positive for COVID-19. The plethora of positive tests led to 18 players on Cleveland's active roster missing the Browns' Week 15 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, which had been postponed from Sunday to Monday due to the outbreak.
With tight end Austin Hooper, linebacker Jacob Phillips and kick returner JoJo Natson (practice squad) having been activated, with Stefanski also returning to the team on Wednesday, the following Cleveland players remain on the reserve/COVID-19 list:
- QB Baker Mayfield
- QB Case Keenum
- RB Kareem Hunt
- WR Jarvis Landry
- OT Jedrick Wills Jr.
- OT James Hudson III
- DE Jadeveon Clowney
- DE Ifeadi Odenigbo
- DT Malik McDowell
- LB Mack Wilson Sr.
- LB Tony Fields II
- CB Greg Newsome II
- CB A.J. Green
- CB Troy Hill
- S Grant Delpit
- S Ronnie Harrison Jr.
Selected out of Northwestern in the first round (No. 26 overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft, Newsome had been enjoying a strong rookie campaign before suffering a concussion that has forced him to miss the Browns' past two matchups. In 10 games, the 21-year-old has tallied 26 tackles and seven pass defenses.
This week, the NFL implemented new protocols for more targeted COVID-19 testing, while lowering the testing threshold for vaccinated players who are asymptomatic to return to action. The Browns (7-7) face the Green Bay Packers (11-3) on Saturday.