Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry sprained his MCL in Sunday’s win over the Houston Texans.
The eight-year veteran has missed one regular-season game in his career, which came in the 2020 season after the Browns placed him on their COVID-19/reserve list.
On Monday, head coach Kevin Stefanski said Landry is considered “week to week.”
Stefanski declined to say whether the Browns would put Landry on injured reserve.
“I think we’ll see,” Stefanski. “We’ll work through all those type of decisions over the next few days.”
If the Browns put Landry on IR, it means he would miss at least three weeks.
Landry, 28, played just two snaps Sunday after suffering the injury when making a catch for nine yards on the Browns’ opening drive.
#Browns coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters that WR Jarvis Landry has an MCL sprain and is week-to-week. It’s relatively minor, so sounds like 2-3 weeks.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 20, 2021
In the 2021 season, Landry has six receptions on six targets for 80 yards.
On Monday, Stefanski said the return of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is not dependent on the availability of any other player.
Beckham, 28, has not played in the first two games of the 2021 season as he works his way back from a torn left ACL.
Beckham is one of the Browns offensive players who need to step up in Landry’s absence:
1. The case for Odell Beckham Jr.
A Twitter exchange between Landry and Beckham suggests OBJ could play in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears.
“We gon(na) hold it down,” Beckham tweeted.
Plus, safety Grant Delpit suggested Beckham is coming back soon.
We waitin slimeballl! Keep that pain on ya… we gon hold it down 😈
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) September 20, 2021
#Browns safety Grant Delpit: "Juice (Landry) is definitely a big key to our offense, our team. So it's going to be tough without him for a couple weeks or whatever it is. But, we've got O (OBJ) coming back, he's definitely going to fill in that role, be that missing piece."
— Keith Britton (@KeithBritton86) September 20, 2021
Beckham is tied for the sixth-highest average annual salary among NFL receivers at $18 million per season.
It’s time the Browns saw a return on their investment because Beckham is one of the NFL’s best receivers when he’s healthy.
The Browns saw flashes of Beckham’s playmaking abilities in Week 4 of the 2020 season when he scored three touchdowns in a 49-38 thriller against the Dallas Cowboys.
All THREE of @obj's touchdowns vs. the Cowboys + Jim Donovan's radio calls 👌 pic.twitter.com/WWNxcrtGbw
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 6, 2020
Three weeks later against the Bengals, Beckham tore his ACL.
The injury limited Beckham to seven games in the 2020 season.
Beckham has had five seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards in his eight-year NFL career, including his first season with the Browns in 2019 under head coach Freddie Kitchens.
The Browns receiving corps is also made up of Donovan Peoples-Jones, Rashard Higgins, rookie Anthony Schwartz and rookie Demetric Felton.
However, given the relative youth at the receiver position, the Browns should look elsewhere to fill the void left by Landry.
2. The case for Austin Hooper
The two-time Pro Bowl tight end came to the Browns last season after starting his career with the Atlanta Falcons from 2016-2019.
Last offseason, Hooper signed a four-year contract with the Browns worth up to $42 million.
Hooper’s receiving production was down in 2020 compared to his time in Atlanta.
However, the Browns turned to Hooper to make a diving catch on a 4th and 2 down 22-10 against the Kansas City Chiefs with 12:18 left in the fourth quarter of the Jan. 17 playoff game.
Austin Hooper with a HUGE 4th down catch to keep the hopes alive for the Browns 😱
We have a ball game.
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/StPwVUtMpK
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) January 17, 2021
In 2021, Hooper has eight receptions on eight regrets for 67 yards.
Part of the reason Hooper’s 2020 stats were down is because of the Browns’ depth among their offensive skill position players.
Plus, Hooper splits touches considering the talents of fellow tight ends David Njoku and Harrison Bryant.
Njoku is leading the team in receiving yards (94) and has five receptions on eight targets.
Njoku, 25, is in the final year of his rookie contract
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