BEREA: Browns starting right guard John Greco made it a point to walk off the field under his own power Sunday as if he realized he might not return to it this year.
Greco will miss the final four games of the season with a right midfoot sprain he suffered with 3:54 left in the third quarter of a 27-13 loss to the New York Giants. The Browns placed him on injured reserve Monday and claimed offensive lineman Matt McCants off waivers from the Oakland Raiders.
Greco started all 12 games this season, 10 at right guard and two at center. ProFootballFocus.com ranks Greco 19th among 81 guards this season.
“John has been one of the most valuable members of our line,” coach Hue Jackson said. “Anytime you have a guy that can play guard and start at guard for us but can play center like that, which he has had to do several times this year, and we did not miss a beat, that is a huge loss for us. He has had a really good season, but probably if you asked John, he would say it is not where he wants to be. He is a member of our team, and I am looking forward to getting him back as soon as we can.”
The Browns have lost both of their starting guards this season to midfoot injuries. Left guard Joel Bitonio suffered a Lisfranc injury Oct. 9 against the New England Patriots and later had surgery on his right foot.
Jackson said he doesn’t know whether Greco will need surgery, adding, “I do not think it is as severe as what Bitonio’s was. It is really just a freak thing. Just blocking and here it goes.”
Greco, 31, is under contract through the 2017 season.
The Browns (0-12) have a bye Sunday, so they won’t play again until they host the Cincinnati Bengals (3-7-1) on Dec. 11. The break will give them extra time to prepare Greco’s successor.
Jonathan Cooper “has the chance” to start in place of him, Jackson said. Alvin Bailey filled in for him against the Giants.
McCants, 6-foot-5 and 309 pounds, is in his fourth season out of Alabama-Birmingham. Drafted by the Giants in the sixth round in 2012, he has appeared in 28 career games with three starts. He spent the past four seasons with the Raiders.
Full bag of tricks
Running back Duke Johnson became the seventh Browns player to throw a pass this season, but he overthrew wide receiver Terrelle Pryor by a substantial amount on a trick play in the first quarter Sunday.
Jackson said Johnson had Pryor open.
“He is 0-for-1, so he might not get a chance to throw it ever again,” Jackson said with a laugh. “Yeah, we had a chance at it. It did not look like it looked in practice. I can promise you guys that.”
Jackson said he hasn’t “even opened the bag of tricks” in his playbook yet.
“We haven’t,” he said. “I keep saying we have not really played offensive football the way I like to play. Our guys, they know it, and I think they are looking for the day we can unleash some of the things that we like to do.
“Not that we are not trying. I do not want anybody to think we are holding this magical offense in a bag or something. We are not because if we did, we would unleash it. But there are a lot of things that we do like to do as an offensive football team that we have not even scratched the surface at, so we just have to keep going and keep growing.”
Other injury updates
Jackson revealed tight end Gary Barnidge had a lighter workload against the Giants (57 of 75 snaps) because he suffered a knee injury.
“He had a little tweak of the knee that happened in the game,” Jackson said. “I just wanted to make sure we did not overwork him. We kind of rotated him a little bit, trying to make sure we looked out for his health.”
Barnidge practiced Monday.
On the other hand, tight end Randall Telfer missed practice because he underwent surgery.
“He had the surgery on his thumb, which was already scheduled for during the bye,” Jackson said. “Just go in there and clean some things up, so he will be back out tomorrow.”
Theft alert
The girlfriend of Robert Griffin III, Grete Sadeiko, made it known on Twitter the quarterback had money stolen from his wallet after valeting his car in the players and family parking garage before Sunday’s game at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Griffin retweeted Sadeiko’s claim Monday.
“We have the right people working on this situation, and we will get to the bottom of it,” Jackson said. “Our business is our business here, and that is all I am going to say about it. We like to keep things in house if we can.”
Will he ever return?
Rookie wide receiver Corey Coleman practices as a punt returner, but he has yet to do it in a game.
“It is a scoring opportunity,” he said. “I’m going to do whatever the coaches want me to do.”
When reporters pointed out star players such as Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Antonio Brown and Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson return punts, Coleman challenged the media by asking if those players were returners as rookies.
The answer for all three is yes.
“Whatever helps us win, I’ll do it,” Coleman said. “If it means that I go back there five reps and score a touchdown, I’d give [up five reps on offense].”
The Browns have been using Johnson as their primary punt returner this season. Coleman said he was ready to fill the role Sunday after Johnson suffered a stinger “but Duke told me he was OK.” Johnson has returned 17 punts for 112 yards (6.6 average).
Phone blowing up
Jackson said he received “too many” text messages from friends and colleagues about his emotional postgame news conference.
“I had to delete a lot of them,” he said.
Jackson added, “I am what I am. What you guys see in me is what you are going to get. I am not a phony, and I am human like everybody else.”
Bye-week schedule
The Browns will practice again Tuesday before Jackson gives his players a vacation. They’ll return to work Dec. 5.
“My biggest message to our players when they do go away is, ‘Let’s be a pro,’ ” Jackson said. “We need every guy that leaves here to show back up here.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.