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Avant-match Ravens-Browns
CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Browns reached an agreement with veteran kicker Dustin Colquitt on Friday, after putting their regular kicker Jamie Gillan’s name on the list of players affected by COVID-19.
Colquitt, who spent 15 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, was released by the Atlanta Falcons earlier this week. He’s averaging 47.7 yards per punt in six games this season.
Colquitt was named to the All-Star team twice while playing for the Chiefs. His younger brother, Britton, kicked for the Browns between 2016 and 2018.
Colquitt, 39, will be in charge of the punters against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. On Thursday, the Browns put the names of Gillan and Anthony Walker Jr. on the list of players affected by COVID-19.
Walker, the Browns’ leader in tackles this season, and Gillan joined on guard David Njoku, who leads the team in receiving yards. Njoku was placed on the roster earlier this week and his status for Sunday’s game remains unclear.
The possible losses of Walker and Gillan could be a blow to the Browns (6-6), who are two games behind the Ravens (8-4) at the top of the North American section. The Cleveland Troops can’t afford another loss as they try to make the playoffs for a second straight year.
A vaccinated player on the roster must be asymptomatic and must present two negative tests within 24 hours to be eligible to play. A team has until Saturday at 4 p.m. at the latest to remove a player from this list.
Walker leads the Browns with 85 tackles in nine games and has been consistent in his first season with the Cleveland roster. Two weeks ago, he helped the Browns contain quarterback Lamar Jackson, who threw four interceptions in a 16-10 victory for the Ravens.
Malcolm Smith will likely take Walker’s place, as reservist Elijah Lee is reportedly taking part in more games. It is possible that Jacob Phillips will be called up for backup after missing the first 12 games with a torn bicep. He returned to training on Monday and trained.
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