BEREA: Cornerback Joe Haden and wide receiver Terrelle Pryor remained sidelined during Thursday’s practice, but coach Hue Jackson is still hopeful they’ll be able to fight through their injuries and play Sunday when the Browns (0-6) visit the Cincinnati Bengals (2-4).
Haden is dealing with a groin injury that forced him to sit out Sunday during a 28-26 loss to the Tennessee Titans. Pryor suffered a hamstring injury in the third quarter Sunday.
Neither player has practiced this week, but Jackson said they’ll run before the end of the week to determine whether they can face the Bengals.
“If they can’t run, they won’t be able to play,” Jackson said after Thursday’s practice. “We have to know for sure. I will not dress a guy who I think cannot contribute to our football team in some positive capacity.”
Meanwhile, the Browns have had preliminary contract extension talks regarding Pryor, 27, who’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March, a league source confirmed. A year after switching from quarterback, Pryor has 33 catches for 413 yards and three touchdowns.
Pryor, though, may not be available Sunday. Perhaps Jackson inadvertently revealed Pryor will at least be limited against the Bengals when the coach said “obviously we will see more of [rookie receiver] Rashard [Higgins] this week.”
Pryor spoke to reporters Wednesday and vowed to do everything in his power to play. Haden echoed those sentiments Thursday.
“My goal is to be out there on Sunday for sure,” Haden said.
Groin injuries have plagued Haden this season after he missed 11 games last year with two concussion and other injuries. He also had ankle surgery in March.
Haden sat out Sept. 25 against the Miami Dolphins with a groin injury suffered in practice. Then he sat out against the Titans with a separate groin injury suffered in practice. Both injuries occurred on a Thursday.
“When I saw Coach Hue, I’m like, ‘I can’t make this up.’ It’s just like literally, ‘I think I pulled my other groin,’ ” Haden said of his most recent injury. “So it’s very, very, very, very frustrating when you’re especially 0-6, you’ve got a young team, you’ve got a bunch of guys that I know look at me as a leader and I want to be out there playing with them.
“But just when freak stuff happens that you have no control of, it just sucks and it’s very, very tough. ... Being in these tough times, this is when you need your leaders the most to be out there giving it their all and show them what it’s really about, trying to get these victories. It’s just frustrating.”
Haden, though, doesn’t fear this season will slip away from him like last year did.
“I definitely don’t feel like it’s getting away from me at all,” he said. “These are just little, minor things that I’m going to be able to get fixed and going to be out there and write my own 2016 season how I want it to play out. I feel like I still have a lot of time. ... I feel like I can still make this season a successful season.”
Haden said he wasn’t fully recovered from the first groin injury when he returned to play. He knows he must be healthy enough this time to cover Bengals five-time Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Green, who has an NFL-leading 42 catches for 606 yards and two touchdowns.
“If you can’t run with A.J., then you can’t run with your team,” Haden said. “It is just something that we are working on and trying to get right.”
If Haden were to play, inside linebacker Demario Davis said it would give the Browns “a huge boost. He is one of the best players on the team.”
City of champions
The Cavaliers are NBA champions, the Indians are heading to World Series and the Browns are, well, jealous.
“As I look at it from afar, I want to be in that spot, too,” Jackson said.
Jackson has vowed to win a Super Bowl with the Browns, and he reiterated the goal for at least the third time Thursday.
“That is what we all are chasing,” Jackson said. “Obviously, the basketball team has done it. The baseball team has an opportunity to do it. We are going to do it here at some point.”
On Tuesday, the Cavaliers will raise their championship banner and receive their rings before the season opener at Quicken Loans Arena, and the Indians will host Game 1 of the World Series at Progressive Field.
Haden plans to attend both. He’s also trying to get a World Series suite for Browns players.
“It’s so, so bittersweet,” Haden said. “I mean I love it. I’m so happy for the Cavs, so happy for the Indians. At the same time, I’m on a professional sports team in the same city where they’re doing a lot of successful things. It pushes us. We want to be successful.
“We want the city to embrace the Browns. We know that this is a football town, but we want to start getting some Ws, so they can show the same love and support that they’ve been showing the other teams.”
Golden opportunity
Jackson said he’s “been dying” go give Higgins more playing time. With Pryor hurt, Higgins will be summoned more Sunday.
“I’ve got some big shoes to fill,” said Higgins, a fifth-round pick. “So I’ll be ready for it, and I’m the man for the job.”
Rookie receiver Ricardo Louis is another player who could be counted on more. Dropped passes have been an issue for him, and Jackson said the fourth-round pick is a perfectionist working to become more consistent.
“You work so hard and when you get an opportunity and you lose an opportunity and you don’t make the best of it, anybody will feel like that if you want to get it back,” Louis said. “I’m hard on myself.”
Stay has ended
Former Baylor football coach Art Briles is no longer spending time with the Browns.
Briles attended practices last week as Jackson’s guest and helped the coaching staff with the offense at team headquarters. However, he hasn’t been with the team this week.
Briles was ousted from Baylor this past summer amid the football program’s sexual assault scandal. His status as a controversial figure raised questions about whether the Browns should have hosted him, but Jackson defended his decision to include Briles for a brief time.
Other injury updates
Jackson said left tackle Joe Thomas (knee) will play Sunday despite sitting out practices.
In addition to Haden, Pryor and Thomas, receiver Corey Coleman (broken right hand), tight end Seth DeValve (knee) and cornerback Marcus Burley (hamstring) didn’t practice. Coleman, though, ran on the field off to the side, a sign he’s close to returning to practice.
Defensive lineman Xavier Cooper (shoulder), tight end Randall Telfer (sprain), cornerback Jamar Taylor (knee) and quarterback Josh McCown (fractured left collarbone) were limited.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.