With the game moved to Monday, the Cleveland Browns are hoping to get enough players back from the Reserve/COVID-19 list to field a team. Edge rusher Takkarist McKinley has been activated from the Reserve/COVID-19 list, but rookie right tackle James Hudson III is going on it.
McKinley coming back is important since Jadeveon Clowney was just placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Friday. He would be in line to start across from Myles Garrett on the defensive line.
Hudson going on the Reserve/COVID-19 list presents a problem to an already challenged offensive tackle position. He started the second matchup against the Baltimore Ravens in place of Jack Conklin, who is out for the season.
With Jedrick Wills still on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, that would likely mean that Blake Hance, who was slated to be the fill in left tackle will go back to right tackle where he had been playing for Conklin before he surpassed by the rookie Hudson.
Practice squad tackle Alex Taylor would be the next man up at tackle, but the Browns would then be down to Elijah Nkansah, who was just signed to the practice squad when this outbreak started.
Perhaps Wills is able to return ahead of the game, which would more or less reset the tackle situation to what it was before the bye week.
Wyatt Teller is also on the list with Michael Dunn set to start in place of him. So the edge position is in slightly better shape but the offensive is at least temporarily in dire straits.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Browns will have until Monday at 2pm to make transactions, three hours before the game. That would enable the Browns to get a number of their players back, which could include Wills and Teller on the offensive line.
Meanwhile, Dan Graziano of ESPN is reporting that there are talks that the NFL will drop testing vaccinated players entirely, which doesn't really solve the problem but rather hides it. Even that is too little too late for the Browns.
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