The Cleveland Browns entered the 2021 season with a healthy duo of Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. leading the receiving corps.
It only took one week for those plans to get messed up.
Landry suffered a knee injury immediately in Week 2 and has been out ever since.
He was placed on injured reserve and in the meantime, Beckham has struggled to establish any rhythm with Baker Mayfield.
It is clear that the Browns miss Landry and some good news emerged Friday morning on his injury status.
The #Browns have designated WR Jarvis Landry to return off Injured Reserve after an MCL sprain and his practice window is now open. They have 21 days to put him on the active roster.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 15, 2021
Returning from IR is the first step.
Next up is making sure he is truly at full strength and ready to go for the rest of the season.
A Leader On Offense
For reasons few can seem to understand, Mayfield and Beckham can just not get it going when the receiver is the top option.
That is not the case with Landry.
He went for over 1,000 yards in 2019 and finished with 840 a season ago.
Landry is a reliable receiver who has never finished any season with under 100 targets.
If the ball is on him, he will make the catch.
He is also a vocal leader and it surely helps having him on the field in uniform.
Remaining Patient
The Browns now have several weeks to elevate Landry back to the active roster.
This Sunday brings a matchup against the undefeated Arizona Cardinals, so it would obviously be nice to have Landry back for that one.
Welcome back @God_Son80 … we missed you pic.twitter.com/eBCvpeznfD
— MoreForYouCleveland (@MoreForYou_CLE) October 15, 2021
However, there is a quick turnaround into a Thursday night game, so the Browns may end up letting him sit a few more days before making his return.
Coming off IR and playing two games in such a short span doesn’t seem like a great idea.
Receivers like Donovan Peoples-Jones and Rashard Higgins can hold down the corps, while tight ends David Njoku and Austin Hooper can get more work as well.
Njoku finally had a breakout game last Sunday and the Browns should not go away from that at all.
And as all fans want, Kevin Stefanski can call run play after run play all day Sunday.
The Browns are 3-2 on the year and are not facing any must-win situations just yet.
They need Landry for the long haul, so patience is a key as he decides when to return.
NEXT: 3 NFL Teams That Should Call About An Odell Beckham Jr. Trade
