BEREA — Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II has been ruled out for the game vs. the Titans on Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium, but running back Kareem Hunt has been ruled in.
Coach Kevin Stefanski said Hunt, who was signed Wednesday to help replace Nick Chubb (knee, IR), will play vs. the Titans.
“He’s ready to play,” Stefanski said. “How much will be determined” by how things go during the game.
He said Hunt’s role won’t change from last year based on the fact he’s down 10 pounds from then.
“He’s in good shape mentally and physically,” Stefanski said.
Newsome hyperextended his elbow during Monday night’s 26-22 loss to the Steelers, a game in which he made three tackles before suffering the injury midway through the third quarter.
“Obviously guys have to step up,” Stefanski said. “Greg plays a big role for us inside and out. We’ve been working through that all week.”
He said rookie Cam Mitchell is a candidate to play nickelback with Newsome out.
Burrow limited participant
CINCINNATI (AP) — Quarterback Joe Burrow participated in practice on Friday, a good sign for the Cincinnati Bengals that a lingering calf injury may not keep him out of the Monday night game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Burrow walked to the practice field in full pads and afterward the team listed him as having “limited participation” in the session.
Burrow aggravated the right calf strain he suffered early in training camp in last week’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Talking to reporters on Thursday, Burrow said he was day to day and didn’t know at that point if he’d be able to play on Monday in Cincinnati.
Burrow strained the muscle on the second day of on-field workouts in training camp on July 27. That sidelined him for more than a month, depriving him of valuable preseason reps with the offense. The Bengals lost their first two games for the second consecutive season.
Europe cuts into US lead
CASARES, Spain (AP) — With the help of a hole-in-one, a hole-out from the fairway and a chip-in, Europe rallied against the United States after being swept in the opening foursome matches at the Solheim Cup, winning two of the afternoon fourball matches to reduce the Americans’ lead to 5-3 on Friday.
Emily Pedersen made a hole-in-one on the par-3 12th to ignite the Europeans’ comeback after the U.S. had its best-ever start, then Gemma Dryburgh holed out from the fairway on the 16th and Leona Maguire chipped in from off the green on the 18th to make it close again for Europe at Finca Cortesin in southern Spain.
“I’m really proud of the way the entire team fought back in the afternoon,” European captain Suzann Pettersen said. “It’s not easy to stand on that tee in the afternoon knowing you’re down four after the first session. So I got to say, hat’s off to all my players, the way they fought and the way they showed their character on this Friday afternoon. You get knocked down, you stand up, and you try it again, and that’s kind of what I told the girls and they did.”
The Europeans also got a boost from home-crowd favorite Carlota Ciganda, the only Spaniard in the team. After sitting out the morning session, Ciganda made six birdies in a 4 and 2 win with Linn Grant against Ally Ewing and Angel Yin.
Cubs blank Rockies
CHICAGO (AP) — Seiya Suzuki and Jared Young each hit two-run homers, Jameson Taillon pitched six scoreless innings and the struggling Chicago Cubs improved their playoff chances with a 6-0 win Friday against the Colorado Rockies.
Chicago had lost 10 of 13 but it will remain at least tied with Miami for the third and final National League wild card berth. The Marlins played the Brewers on Friday night. Cincinnati, which plays host to Pittsburgh in a three-game weekend series, was a half-game behind the two teams at the start of the day.
Suzuki singled in the opening inning to bring home Chicago’s first run, then tagged starter Noah Davis (0-3) for his 20th homer in the fourth.
Doolittle decides to retire
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sean Doolittle has decided to retire from baseball after more than a decade pitching in the majors that included helping the Washington Nationals win the World Series in 2019.
Doolittle announced his decision Friday in a lengthy social media post. He’s set to hold a news conference later before the Nationals host the Atlanta Braves.
The left-handed reliever spent the bulk of his career with Washington and the Oakland Athletics, earning All-Star honors in 2018. He thanked the Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners for his brief time there, saying they gave him a better chance of landing on the Immaculate Grid.
Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said the team knew it was getting a tremendous reliever and person with the trade for Doolittle in 2017, adding that proved to be correct.
“A World Champion, All-Star, and leader in the clubhouse, Sean set an example of what it means to be a pillar of the community,” Rizzo said in a statement. “He was as fierce as they come on the mound and took the ball whenever he was called upon.”
Doolittle appeared in 463 games since making his debut in 2012 with the Athletics, who drafted him in the first round in 2007 as a shortstop out of the University of Virginia and then gave him an opportunity to try pitching after injuries made him contemplate retirement at the time.
“I am forever grateful to them for helping me turn a second chance into a career,” Doolittle said.
Elbow surgery and a knee injury limited Doolittle to just six appearances with the Nationals in 2022 and 11 in the minors this season. He said the World Series will always be the highlight of his career and Washington home for him and his wife, Eireann.
