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Ronnie Harrison

NFL Finds COVID-19 Spread Within Browns

January 8th, 2021 at 12:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jan. 8: There is finally some good news to report on the Browns’ COVID-19 situation. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that the only new positive test today was assistant offensive line coach Scott Peters, who had already been identified as a high risk close contact. Hopefully, this means that the spread has been contained.

The wildcard game against the Steelers remains scheduled for Sunday night.

Jan. 7: The Browns learned Thursday they will be without another starter against the Steelers. Ronnie Harrison tested positive for COVID-19, the Browns announced. The team will have another starting safety — Andrew Sendejo — back for its playoff opener, but the NFL has determined some coronavirus spread has occurred within the Browns.

NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said “there was some spread from one individual to another,” via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Previously, the league deemed the Browns’ virus issue as having resulted from a spread within the Cleveland-area community.

Despite the Browns being down head coach Kevin Stefanski, Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio and others, the game remains on schedule for Sunday night, Pelissero tweets. However, contact tracing is ongoing and intra-team spreads have triggered postponements this season.

The Steelers saw multiple games — against the Titans and Ravens — postponed because of COVID-19 spreading within those teams’ facilities. The NFL could face a decision soon. It is not out of the question the AFC North matchup is postponed, per the Washington Post’s Mark Maske, but a “bigger bump” in spread would need to happen (Twitter link).

Even in the event of a postponement of a day or two, the Browns would not have Stefanski or Bitonio back due to their positive tests occurring earlier this week. Cleveland also has key contributors Denzel Ward, Kevin Johnson, KhaDarel Hodge, Malcolm Smith and Harrison Bryant on its reserve/COVID-19 list. Ward could be activated in time for Sunday’s game but only if he has not encountered symptoms.

The Browns also placed linebacker Montrel Meander on the practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list but moved linebacker B.J. Goodson back onto their active roster after his stay on the COVID list. Harrison just returned to action, playing in Week 17 after missing several late-season games due to a shoulder injury.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/30/20

December 30th, 2020 at 4:57pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Baltimore Ravens

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: K Sam Koch

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: C Ryan Groy; Groy remains on IR

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

North Notes: Bevell, Lewis, Ravens, Browns

December 3rd, 2020 at 6:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

The first Lions interim head coach in 15 years, Darrell Bevell will have five games to run the team. While it should be expected the Lions go in a different direction when they make a full-time hire in 2021, Bevell said team president Rod Wood informed him he is not out of the picture for the permanent gig, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter). Although Bevell was a Matt Patricia hire, the former Seahawks offensive coordinator did not join the Lions until Patricia’s second season. Prior to Bevell spending seven seasons as Seattle’s OC, he oversaw the Vikings’ Brett Favre offenses and held that job for five seasons. His latest offense ranks 20th, though it has been without Kenny Golladay for a big chunk of the season.

Here is the latest from the North divisions:

  • Mike Zimmer replaced defensive coordinator George Edwards by dividing the DC duties between his son (Adam Zimmer) and Andre Patterson. But the Vikings HC wanted a more experienced hand in the room, even before Edwards’ exit. Prior to Edwards’ 2020 departure, Mike Zimmer wanted to hire his former boss — ex-Bengals HC Marvin Lewis — as a defensive assistant, Dan Pompei of The Athletic notes (subscription required). This interest came in 2019, and Zimmer sought Lewis for a part-time role, Pompei adds. Lewis ended up on Herm Edwards‘ Arizona State staff, in an advisory role, last year and is now the Sun Devils’ co-defensive coordinator.
  • Robert Griffin III indeed suffered a hamstring pull in the Ravens‘ Wednesday loss to the Steelers, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. He is not expected to practice when Baltimore reconvenes for workouts. The earliest Lamar Jackson could practice would be Sunday, which would give the Ravens starter one full practice and a Monday walkthrough in advance of a Tuesday return against the Cowboys. It is not known if Jackson will be ready by then, but he will be eligible to return after testing positive for the coronavirus on Nov. 26.
  • The Browns will not have one of their starters for a while. They placed Ronnie Harrison on IR this week, and Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes the third-year safety’s shoulder injury is expected to keep him out between four and six weeks. This is a big setback for the Browns; Pro Football Focus slots Harrison as its 12th-highest-graded safety this season. Cleveland’s secondary is already down Denzel Ward, who is rehabbing a calf strain.
  • Joe Burrow underwent surgery on his injured knee Wednesday, the Bengals announced in a brief statement. The No. 1 overall pick suffered ACL and MCL tears as well as other structural damage. He is not expected to be ready to return until around the start of next season.
  • Seeking kicker insurance in the COVID-19 era, the Packers worked out Roberto Aguayo, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com notes. The Packers, who have used Mason Crosby as their kicker since 2007, do not have a kicker on their practice squad currently. Aguayo has not caught on with a team since the Chargers cut him in 2018; the former second-round pick has not kicked in a game since his 2016 rookie season.

Browns Place S Ronnie Harrison On IR, Activate Myles Garrett

December 1st, 2020 at 11:14am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have activated defensive end Myles Garrett from the reserve/COVID-19 list. To make room on the roster, they’ve placed safety Ronnie Harrison Jr. on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.

Garrett was leading the NFL in sacks up until he was placed on the reserve list in November. After missing the last two games, his 9.5 sacks are still good for a second-place tie with Saints DE Trey Hendrickson. Rams star Aaron Donald now leads the pack with ten sacks.

The Browns have managed to stay hot without Garrett, beating the Eagles and Jaguars over the last two weeks. Now, they’ll have him back on the field just in the nick of time for this week’s game against the 8-3 Titans.

Harrison, 23, has been first string for the Browns since Week 5. Unfortunately, he went down on the very first play against the Jaguars — his former team — and his MRI revealed a serious tear. It’s just the latest blow to a Browns secondary that has also lost safety Grant Delpit and cornerback Greedy Williams to injury. Despite it all, the Browns are 8-3 and on track to snap the NFL’s longest playoff drought.

Jaguars Trade S Ronnie Harrison To Browns

September 3rd, 2020 at 2:13pm CST by Rory Parks

2:13pm: The Jaguars have indeed traded Harrison to the Browns, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). In exchange, Jacksonville will receive a fifth-round choice, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Cleveland recently lost rookie safety Grant Delpit for the season due to an Achilles tear, so the team has been connected to players like Logan Ryan and Earl Thomas in recent days. Instead, the Browns opted for a younger player who entered the league in 2018 as one of the best-regarded safety prospects and who has likely not yet hit his ceiling. Harrison may bump Andrew Sendejo out of the starting lineup and will look to team with Karl Joseph in Cleveland’s defensive backfield.

The Jags, meanwhile, continue to stockpile picks. They already have two first-rounders, two second-rounders, and two fourth-rounders in 2021, and now they will have two fifth-round choices as well. If they want to move up the board for a top QB prospect in 2021, they will probably be able to.

1:35pm: The Jaguars have done plenty of unloading this offseason, trading players like Yannick Ngakoue, Calais Campbell, and A.J. Bouye while waiving former No. 4 overall pick Leonard Fournette. And according to NFL features writer Tyler Dunne, Jacksonville is also preparing to deal safety Ronnie Harrison (Twitter link).

Given where Jacksonville is in its rebuild — and given Ngakoue’s determination to get away from the Jaguars as quickly as possible — the earlier trades made plenty of sense, as they involved shedding the contracts of veterans who were unlikely to be on the next competitive Jaguars team in exchange for draft capital. Harrison, though, was a third-round pick in the 2018 draft and started all 14 of the games in which he appeared last season.

Per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics, Harrison was the league’s 65th-best safety out of 83 qualified players in 2019, and PFF was especially harsh in assessing his run defense. Though he did score well in pass coverage, the Jags apparently aren’t fond enough of his play to keep him around for his third professional season. Instead, the team may look to fifth-round rookie Daniel Thomas to play a big role right away.

At this time, it’s unclear who the Jags’ trading partner might be. Teams like the Ravens and Browns make sense given their recent turmoil at the safety position, and Jacksonville and Baltimore already did some business earlier this year in consummating the Campbell trade.

Last season, Harrison recorded 71 tackles, two sacks, and two interceptions. Despite his middling PFF marks, he certainly looks like a player with plenty of upside, so it’s interesting to hear that the Jags are looking to move on.

AFC Notes: Jaguars, Patriots, Randall

September 14th, 2019 at 9:56pm CST by cwcrouse

The Jaguars will be without several players on Sunday against the Texans, Michael DiRocco of ESPN recaps on Twitter. S Ronnie Harrison is listed as questionable with an ankle injury. CB A.J. Bouye, WR Marqise Lee, DE Yannick Ngakoue and LT Cam Robinson have all already been ruled out of the contest.

Last week, Jacksonville lost starting QB Nick Foles, who suffered a broken left clavicle in Week 1 and has been placed on injured reserve. The franchise’s collective health has put a damper on what should have been a bounceback year for the Jags. As the team carries on in Houston, let’s take a look around the AFC:

  • The Patriots worked out several players ahead of their game against the Dolphins, a source tells Nick Underhill of The Athletic (Twitter link). OT Caleb Benenoch, NT Carl Davis, DT Willie Henry, DB Josh Jones and DB Adarius Pickett worked out for New England.
  • Browns S Damarious Randall has been ruled out of Monday’s game, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Randall showed up to Cleveland’s facility with a concussion and was placed in the concussion protocol.
  • A.J. Green, who injured his ankle during the Bengals‘ training camp, is out of his walking boot and feels like is he ahead of schedule in his recovery, as Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer relays. “I’m only six weeks out and I’m already walking,” Green said. “You never know what the next two weeks or three weeks are going to bring to where I can start back putting on shoes and actually running and doing some on the field stuff. You never know.”

Jaguars Place OL Jermey Parnell On IR

December 22nd, 2018 at 12:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Another Jaguars offensive lineman has been lost for the season. The team announced that they’ve placed offensive lineman Jermey Parnell on the team’s reserve/injured list. The Jaguars also officially announced that they’ve placed safety Ronnie Harrison on the IR, a move that was reported earlier this week. The Jaguars promoted cornerback Breon Borders and offensive lineman Brandon Thomas from the practice squad to take the open roster spots.

Parnell, a 2009 undrafted free agent out of Mississippi, bounced around the NFL before landing with the Cowboys in 2010. The offensive tackle established himself as one of Dallas’ key backups, and he turned that experience into a starting gig with the Jaguars. The 32-year-old has spent that past four years in Jacksonville, starting each of his 57 games. He appeared in 13 games this season, with Pro Football Focus ranking him 49th among 83 eligible offensive tackles.

The Jaguars offensive line has been destroyed by injuries in 2018. Parnell will now be the sixth lineman to be placed on the IR, joining Andrew Norwell, Cam Robinson, Will Richardson, Brandon Linder, and Josh Walker.

Borders, a 2017 undrafted free agent out of Duke, saw his lone NFL action during the Bills’ 2017 AFC Wild Card game against the Jaguars. He’s been on Jacksonville’s practice squad since late October. He’ll be joining a deep cornerback corps that already includes D.J. Hayden, Tre Herndon, Quenton Meeks, CJ Reavis, and Tyler Patmon on the bench.

Thomas, 27, has spent the majority of the season on the Jaguars practice squad. Despite being selected in the third round of the 2014 draft, the lineman still hasn’t managed to make his way into a regular season NFL game. With Parnell out of the lineup, he may have his opportunity, as the team will be eyeing any of Thomas, Chris Reed, Corey Robinson, or Josh Wells to fill in.

Jaguars Place Ronnie Harrison On IR

December 17th, 2018 at 2:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Jaguars safety Ronnie Harrison is being placed on injured reserve with a knee injury, coach Doug Marrone announced. Harrison was injured in the first quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Redskins and tests revealed it to be a serious malady. 

The rookie third-round pick replaced Barry Church in the starting lineup on Dec. 2, influencing the club’s decision to release the veteran last week. Unfortunately, the 21-year-old will have to wait until next year to see the field again and build off of his performance.

Harrison’s rookie season ends with 32 tackles, one sack, one interception, and three passes defensed in 14 games (eight starts). Pro Football Focus ranks him as the 66th best safety in the NFL, but his limited sample size of 328 snaps makes the metrics a bit hard to read.

In any event, Harrison figures to be a key part of the Jags’ secondary in 2019. For now, they’ll soldier on without him in the final two games against the Dolphins and Texans.

Four Jaguars Players Detained In London

October 28th, 2018 at 9:42am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Sunday, 9:42am: It appears that this situation will blow over. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Church was not actually arrested — Hayden, Wilson, and Harrison apparently were — but none of the four players were charged. London Police say the matter is “resolved.”

Rapoport says that the four men skipped out on a $64K bar tab, but that may have been due to a misunderstanding (video link). Apparently, expensive bottles of alcohol were being sent to their table, but they believed someone else was paying for them. They were therefore surprised when they were expected to pay.

In any event, it seems this incident will not have any impact on the team or the players moving forward.

Saturday, 9:15pm: The players arrested were Barry Church, D.J. Hayden, Jarrod Wilson, and Ronnie Harrison, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter link). All four players are defensive backs, which could explain why the team was so reluctant to name them in their statement.

Jacksonville is already shorthanded in the secondary and can’t afford to be without both Church and Harrison, so they will almost certainly still play. Church, a safety, plays nearly every down while Harrison, also a safety, has seen his snaps increase in recent weeks. Hayden was already unlikely to play with an injury, and Wilson is a lightly-used special-teamer.

Saturday, 9:05pm: Online reports from British tabloids began circulating that four Jaguars players had been arrested ahead of Jacksonville’s game in London, and now the team is confirming those reports, according to James Palmer of NFL Network (Twitter link).

The Jaguars released a very brief statement acknowledging what happened, which reads as follows: “We are aware that four of our players were detained over restitution of a bill. The matter is being resolved and the players are with the team. Any discipline will be handled internally.”

The statement is very light on details, and it hasn’t been reported yet which four players were detained. The original report from the British paper said the players were confronted by security at a nightclub and accused of trying to avoid paying their tab. While the team is clearly being intentionally vague, we should know more details soon. At this point, it’s unclear if the players will still play in the game against the Eagles tomorrow.

No matter what happens, it’s an awful look for a club that’s been in disarray for weeks now, with the news breaking 12 hours before they’re set to kick off. The locker room has reportedly turned toxic, with multiple shouting matches breaking out after their most recent loss. Blake Bortles was benched and is now on a very short leash, and this is the last thing the team needs.

The NFL has made expanding the game into the London market a major focal point in recent years, and the league office will likely be outraged at the optics. While the Jaguars have said any discipline will be internal, commissioner Roger Goodell may disagree.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

Draft Pick Signings: 5/24/18

May 24th, 2018 at 7:31pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Here are today’s second-tier draft signings:

  • The Buccaneers signed their second-round pick, cornerback Carlton Davis from Auburn. Davis was a three-year starter for the Tigers, earning a first-team All-SEC selection as a senior. An average athlete with good size, Davis will slide in behind Brent Grimes, Ryan Smith, and Vernon Hargreaves on the depth chart. The Bucs likely see Davis as the eventual successor to the now 34-year old Grimes.
  • Second-round linebacker Breeland Speaks signed his rookie deal with the Chiefs. Left without a first-round pick in the 2018 draft due to last year’s Patrick Mahomes trade, Speaks was the team’s first selection. Speaks played defensive tackle and defensive end in college, but the Chiefs plan to line him up at outside linebacker. Playing at Mississippi last year, Speaks generated seven sacks. He’ll initially be competing for playing time behind veterans Justin Houston and Dee Ford.
  • The Jaguars agreed to terms with third-round safety Ronnie Harrison on his rookie deal. Harrison was one of a slew of Alabama players selected in last year’s draft, and is looking to be the latest in a long line of Crimson Tide defenders to become stars in the NFL. Harrison was always a great player in college, but underwhelmed athletically with his testing at the combine. Harrison will play strong safety for the Jaguars, and is yet another piece added to their already dominant defense.
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