Browns Place S Karl Joseph on COVID-19 List; 9 Players Now Quarantined

The Cleveland Browns are placing safety Karl Joseph on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced Tuesday night.

We will place S Karl Joseph on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 30, 2020

The Joseph designation lifts the total count of Browns players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list to nine. Fellow safety Andrew Sendejo and tight end Harrison Bryant were both added to the list Tuesday as well. The three players added to the isolation list on Tuesday can return for Sunday’s game if they have been identified as close contacts, but not if they have tested positive.

With the number of Cleveland sequestered on the Reserve/COVID-19 list growing by the day, Sunday’s Week 17 matchup could be in jeopardy. The NFL does not have much flexibility at this point either, given the playoffs are two weeks away.

While the Steelers have virtually nothing to gain playing Sunday’s game, a win would be monumental for the Browns, who can clinch their first playoff berth since 2002 with a victory.

Drafted in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders, Joseph is in his first season with the Browns. He has started eight games, recording 60 total tackles, two fumble recoveries and an interception.