CLEVELAND (AP) - Myles Garrett’s injured ankle is much stronger. His playing status remains shaky.
Cleveland’s rookie defensive end - and the NFL’s top draft pick - practiced for the second straight day Friday, but remained questionable to make his regular-season debut Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Garrett has missed the Browns’ first three games with a severely sprained right ankle suffered in practice on Sept. 6. He’s made major progress and returned to the field Thursday. However, he still may be a week away from playing in a game.
Coach Hue Jackson met with the team’s medical staff following practice, and while he didn’t ruled the 21-year-old out this week, the Browns will likely remain ultra-cautious with Garrett and let him rest another week.
The team is eager to see Garrett rushing the quarterback, but they won’t jeopardize him being out for an extended period by rushing him back less than a month after he got hurt. Typically high ankle sprains take up to at least one month to heal.
Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said Garrett has been doing everything within his power to play.
“The things that people don’t realize are all of the other things behind the scenes he does,” Williams said. “He is out there, but he has working so hard behind the scenes and hasn’t missed a meeting. He has the respect of everybody in the locker room, the training room, the strength department, the coaching and all of that stuff. We will see as he takes steps and see how his body handles it.”
With his dazzling speed off the edge, Garrett played above his high expectations during training camp and in the preseason.
Williams is looking forward to using him as a weapon, but only when the time is right. Until then, he’ll rely on his depth to fill Garrett’s void.
“Myles will always play hard. Myles will always do that,” Williams said. “Myles will get snaps when he is healthy, but the thing that I do like here is when everything goes into it and he is healthy. There is nobody in the National Football League 100 percent healthy when they play. Nobody. Coaches, whether it is me being mentally unhealthy or physically, so when he is ready to cut it loose and there are no setbacks, he will be fine and we will use him in a lot of different ways.”
As they wait for Garrett, the Browns will be without starting linebacker Jamie Collins, who remains sidelined with a concussion.
Defensive tackle Danny Shelton did not practice for the second straight day because of a calf injury. An MRI revealed Shelton’s injury is not serious, but like Garett, he may need more time to heal.
Wide receiver Sammie Coates (hamstring) and tight end Randall Telfer (knee) were limited in practice and are questionable.
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