BEREA, Ohio — Myles Garrett, who was captured coughing and hacking by the Hard Knocks cameras during the Browns’ 27-14 loss to the Steelers on Sunday afternoon, was absent from practice on Wednesday for a personal reason.
No further details were provided by the team.
Garrett, who fought through chipping and double-teams during the game and was held to one sack for a total of 11.0 on the season and 99.5 for his career, continued to cough in the locker room after the game, and was relatively subdued at the podium during his post-game press conference.
Garrett needs just half a sack to reach the coveted milestone, and if he gets it vs. the Chiefs on Sunday, he’ll be the fourth-fastest player in the NFL to do so in 114 games. Had he gotten the half in Pittsburgh, he would’ve tied DeMarcus Ware as the third-fastest players to get their in 113 games.
If the Chiefs somehow manage to keep him from at least sharing a sack of Patrick Mahomes on Sunday, the best he can do is tie Bruce Smith and Lawrence Taylor for fourth-fastest at 115.
**Mike Hall Jr. has a decent chance to face the Chiefs**
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Browns rookie defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. has a good chance of facing the Chiefs after being activated Wednesday off injured reserve with his knee injury. He practiced on a limited basis and Stefanski is hopeful he can play.
“For any young player, reps are so important,” he said. “That’s your resume, is that tape. So excited if Mike can make it back out there because he’s a young player that we’d love to see more of.”
Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz also planned to Hall some at end before the knee injury to help make up for the loss of Za’Darius Smith.
**Greg Newsome II not expected to need more surgery**
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Newsome, who underwent surgery on his hamstring before training camp, isn’t expected to need another procedure now that he’s on IR for the season with a hamstring injury suffered Sunday in Pittsburgh, Stefanski said.
**Browns gearing up for Chris Jones**
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The Browns know they’ll have to account for two-time All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones on every play.
“Physically, just his size, strength, ability to move laterally at that size, the power when he wants to go through the offensive line,” Stefanski said. “He’s versatile, they can line him up all over. I remember playing these guys a few years back he was playing defensive end. Now he’s playing some more defensive tackle. But he can line up everywhere. Just a force. Physically, a very, very disruptive player.”
Jameis Winston knows what to expect from practicing against Myles Garrett.
“We know what it’s like to have a superstar defensive player because I sit right by one of the best players in the NFL,” he said. “So, we know that Chris Jones is going to play his game. But I believe our offensive line has been doing a tremendous job of protecting me and just blocking and sustaining blocks. And we know that he’s a high effort guy and he’s a very powerful guy. So, we’re going to have to bring our hat and have some lead with us. And I trust my guys, especially in the interior and on the exterior to protect me.”
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