Notes: Joel Bitonio to start 150th game Sunday as he climbs franchise list

BEREA — Joel Bitonio has been durable, dependable, tough and outstanding during his 11 seasons with the Browns. The combination has him ready to make his 150th start Sunday against the Eagles in Philadelphia."You look at the names that are around you or ahead of you on the list and just the history of the Cleveland Browns and what they've done, it's pretty special," Bitonio said Thursday. "There's a lot of luck that comes into staying healthy and being available, but that's one thing, anytime I have a chance, I want to be out there for my teammates and just give it a go. But it's a cool stat and hopefully we get a win on the 150th."Rex Sunahara's perseverance pays off with job for hometown teamHall of Famer Lou Groza played 268 games, including 52 in the All-America Football Conference before the Browns joined the NFL in 1950. Clay Matthews Jr. tops the list of NFL games with the Browns at 232. Phil Dawson played 215 and Doug Dieken 203.Bitonio will break a tie with Tom DeLeone on Sunday and move into 15th place by himself. Long snapper Charley Hughlett, who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, is No. 14 at 152 games, with Robert Jackson at 160 and Joe Thomas at 167.Bitonio, a left guard, is a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. He was a second-round pick in 2014 and had streaks of 102 starts and 6,481 snaps in the regular season broken last year when he had arthroscopic knee surgery over the bye week and missed one game.Zone Coverage PodcastHe will turn 33 on Friday and doesn't spend much energy reflecting on his career, which is winding down."Mostly for later," he said. "Every once in awhile in the offseason or a big milestone comes up, you think about how special it is. But I'm just trying to win this week."He said he doesn't get too reflective during the season. https://t.co/3mcYbeDSUb pic.twitter.com/HmUy0lu651— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) October 10, 2024https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThe Browns entered the season a playoff contender but are 1-4 after three straight losses. Bitonio is used to losing — the Browns are 62-105-1 in the regular season since he was drafted — but hates it."Oh, it's incredibly frustrating," he said. "You want to win games, that's what you play the game. That's why I play the game. I'm in Year 11. I've done everything I need to do in my career. I just want to win."And so it's incredibly frustrating, but that's why I'm here every day because we're going to work and we're going to try and do everything possible to win these games."Deshaun Watson says he's still confident, not hearing calls for him to be benched, feeling support of teammatesINJURY REPORTDefensive end Myles Garrett (Achilles), tight end David Njoku (knee/ankle), receiver Amari Cooper (rest) and running back D'Onta Foreman (ankle) returned to practice after missing Wednesday and were limited.Garrett hasn't practiced the last few Wednesdays but has played in the games and said he's feeling better. Njoku is also expected to play Sunday.** Cornerback Denzel Ward (hamstring), safeties Grant Delpit (concussion) and Ronnie Hickman (ankle), center Ethan Pocic (knee) and tackle James Hudson III (shoulder) remained out.Hudson later posted on Instagram he had surgery. So he'll go on injured reserve."I know Denzel's a competitor, and if he can be out there, he'll be out there," coordinator Jim Schwartz said.** Running backs Nick Chubb (knee), Nyheim Hines (knee) and Pierre Strong Jr. (hamstring), tackles Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee) and Jack Conklin (hamstring), linebackers Jordan Hicks (elbow, triceps) and Mohamoud Diabate (hip), defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II (ankle) and guard Zak Zinter (knee) were again limited.NEVER ON HIS MINDCooper figures to be a hot commodity for receiver-needy teams as the Nov. 5 trade deadline approaches. If the Browns keep losing and their playoff chances sink further, they would likely be willing to deal him for the right return."I'm not thinking about that," Cooper said. "I'm not thinking about us not winning some games. I'm thinking about us winning some games. So that doesn't even cross my mind."He has 20 catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns despite a few costly drops.A FEW BAD APPLESSchwartz didn't hesitate in naming the biggest problem for the defense in the 34-13 loss to the Commanders on Sunday: the big plays.The Browns allowed 308 yards on eight plays of more than 20 yards, including a 66-yard completion. On the other 54 snaps, the Browns allowed 126 yards, a 2.33 average."That's like insane defense, but it gets offset by those (eight) big plays," Schwartz said. "And it's the NFL, you're not going to make every one of those (eight) plays, but we got to make half of those. If we make half of those, it's a different situation. It negated some really good stuff on film, but that's the NFL."TALK BETTERCooper and coordinator Ken Dorsey blamed poor communication for the botched fourth down early in the third quarter against the Commanders. Twelve players were on the field, so quarterback Deshaun Watson walked to the sideline, the Browns took a delay of game penalty and kicked a field goal rather than burning a second timeout on the possession."In that situation on the fourth down, we got to be significantly better communicators starting with the sideline and then coming in and out of the huddle, make sure we're communicating personnel so that everybody's on the same page," Dorsey said."When whoever is coming in is taking somebody out of the game, they need to be shouting the personnel," Cooper said. "And that's one of the things that we do harp on in practice, but we have to make it translate to the game."ROSTER MOVESCornerback/special teamer Tony Brown II was signed to the active roster from the practice squad. He's appeared in three games this year with three special teams tackles and a forced fumble.** Guard Javion Cohen, defensive tackle Sam Kamara and tight end Blake Whiteheart were signed to the practice squad after being cut from the active roster earlier in the week.The post Notes: Joel Bitonio to start 150th game Sunday as he climbs franchise list first appeared on BrownsZone with Scott Petrak.