Browns place Harrison Bryant, Karl Joseph, Andrew Sendejo on reserve/COVID-19 list

By Mitch Spinell

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland Browns announced late Tuesday afternoon both tight end Harrison Bryant and safety Andrew Sendejo were placed on the team's reserve/COVID-19 list, and later announced S Karl Joseph to the same list.

Reports said Bryant, the Browns' 2020 fourth-round pick, was a close contact of a positive coronavirus case. He has started nine of 15 games this season, with 24 catches for 238 yards and three touchdowns.

Joseph, who has recorded 60 tackles and an interception in his first year with Cleveland, was also deemed a high-risk contact, although Bryant and Joseph could be eligible to return by this Sunday's game with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sendejo will not be available for the Steelers game, according to reports. The first returned Sunday for the loss to the New York Jets after missing a game with a concussion. Sendejo has started 14 games with 67 tackles, two passes defended, and a forced fumble.

The three joined most of the Browns' wide receiver core on the list, including Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and KhaDarel Hodge, along with linebackers B.J. Goodson and Jacob Phillips.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Monday that his receivers and Phillips could be reactivated as soon as Thursday if they continued to test negative for COVID-19, which would allow those players to return for Sunday's game against Pittsburgh.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said in a Tuesday press conference that Ben Roethlisberger will not play in the regular-season finale, as the 38-year-old slinger will rest for the upcoming playoffs. Mason Rudolph will start for Pittsburgh, who have wrapped up the AFC North title at 11-3. The 10-5 Browns currently sit in one of the AFC Wild Card spots, but a win or an Indianapolis Colts loss on Sunday is needed for Cleveland to clinch its first playoff appearance since 2002.