KEVIN STEFANSKI

Deshaun Watson says everything feels different for him as he begins his second season with the Cleveland Browns.

A person familiar with the decision says the Cleveland Browns have hired former Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz as their defensive coordinator.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was sent home Friday and will not practice after he made critical comments about the team.

Deshaun Watson may be a bit rusty when he plays his first game in nearly two years this weekend.

Deshaun Watson is ready to play, not talk.

The NFL is relocating the Bills home game against the Cleveland Browns to Detroit on Sunday because of a lake-effect snowstorm set to hit the Buffalo region.

Deshaun Watson is practicing with the Cleveland Browns for the first time since his 11-game NFL suspension started in August.

Deshaun Watson has one last weekend off the field.

The fullback position in the NFL has been fading for years, but only in the last decade has it neared the brink of total extinction.

The Cleveland Browns expect Deshaun Watson to return to their facility on Monday as the polarizing quarterback continues serving his 11-game NFL suspension for alleged sexual misconduct.

Myles Garrett knows he’s lucky.

Cleveland Browns All-Pro Myles Garrett is back at the team’s headquarters after crashing his car earlier this week.

Jacoby Brissett threw two touchdown passes, Nick Chubb ran for a score and the Cleveland Browns bounced back from their epic meltdown four days earlier to beat the rival Pittsburgh Steelers 29-17.

Mitch Trubisky will make his debut in the Steelers-Browns rivalry.

Nick Chubb wishes he can have a do-over.

Former Cleveland Browns center JC Tretter announced his retirement after eight seasons in the NFL.

Joshua Dobbs ran for a touchdown and looked good directing Cleveland’s backups during a 21-20 loss to Philadelphia Eagles in an exhibition watched by both team’s starters, along with soon-to-be-suspended Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.

The Browns are trusting Jacoby Brissett to keep their season afloat.

Jacoby Brissett has jumped ahead of Deshaun Watson on Cleveland’s depth chart.

Deshaun Watson’s apologized before his preseason debut with the Cleveland Browns and then got an earful from opposing fans.

Deshaun Watson will start Cleveland’s exhibition opener at Jacksonville while waiting to learn if the NFL will succeed in keeping him off the field much longer.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he feels the league needed to keep pushing for a year-long suspension for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson because of his “egregious” and “predatory behavior” toward women.

Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt participated in team drills for first time in three days after demanding a trade.

The NFL Players Association has filed a brief replying to the league’s appeal in Deshaun Watson’s discipline case.

The Browns now know how long they'll be without Deshaun Watson.

Deshaun Watson sprinted onto the field to a light round of cheers Saturday at the Cleveland Browns’ first open practice of training camp.

The wait for a decision on potential discipline for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson following accusations of sexual misconduct will continue into another week.

Deshaun Watson is practicing and waiting.

Deshaun Watson’s complex legal situation has the Cleveland Browns in limbo and unclear about the quarterback’s immediate future.

A 24th woman has filed a civil lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct by Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is also awaiting possible discipline from the NFL.

Myles Garrett has made up his own mind about Deshaun Watson.

Deshaun Watson was impossible to miss in his orange jersey, pants and helmet.

Deshaun Watson is getting to know his new Browns teammates.

A year after having to rely solely on virtual visits the NFL returned to a normal spring evaluation process.

A judge in Texas says Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson must say whether he had sex with 18 massage therapists who supported him last year following criminal complaints.

New Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson maintained his innocence and strongly denied committing any sexual misconduct despite allegations made by 22 women against him.

A second grand jury in Texas has declined to indict new Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by 22 women and still faces civil lawsuits.

Baker Mayfield was once the No. 1 overall pick.

Deshaun Watson’s complicated past didn’t dissuade the Cleveland Browns from betting on the quarterback’s future.

Russell Wilson to Denver, Carson Wentz to Washington, Amari Cooper to Cleveland.

Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield had successful surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, an injury on his non-throwing side that affected his play and led to a disappointing season in Cleveland.

Baker Mayfield’s starting job is secure.

Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield moved a step closer to playing against Aaron Rodgers on Christmas.

Both Saints veteran quarterbacks, Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian, Minnesota star running back Dalvin Cook and Cleveland center JC Tretter, the NFL Players Association president, tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.

The Cleveland Browns got their coach back on the sideline.

Daniel Carlson’s 48-yard field goal as time expired sent the Las Vegas Raiders to a 16-14 win over the COVID-19-depleted Cleveland Browns in a game pushed back two days by the NFL amid an uptick of virus cases across the league.

Several asymptomatic, vaccinated NFL players tested positive for COVID-19 on the first day of “targeted” testing, a person familiar with the results told The Associated Press on Monday.

A person familiar with the Cleveland Browns' situation tells The Associated Press that quarterback Baker Mayfield didn't clear COVID-19 testing in time to be activated and play Monday, so third-stringer Nick Mullens will start against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Gifted two days by the NFL to maybe get healthier, the Browns prepared for a game they expected to play Saturday.

Only unvaccinated players and those experiencing possible symptoms of COVID-19 will be tested starting Sunday under the NFL’s revised protocols.

The Browns got a welcomed reprieve after days of positive COVID-19 tests.

A person familiar with the situation tells the AP that Browns backup quarterback Case Keenum, who was slotted to start Saturday with Baker Mayfield sidelined after testing positive with COVID-19, has also tested positive for the virus.

The NFL has updated its protocols in reaction to an increase in COVID-19 cases around the league, and it is pushing booster shots as the most effective protection against the coronavirus.

Maybe Baker Mayfield needed to follow the lead of Kareem Jackson.

The Browns’ COVID-19 outbreak has widened and worsened.

Los Angeles Rams receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has been added to the COVID-19 reserve list as the NFL reports 28 more positive tests among players.

Nick Chubb caught a touchdown pass and ran for 130 yards as the Cleveland Browns held on to avoid a season-wrecking upset and keep Detroit winless with a sloppy 13-10 victory over the Lions.

Reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Chase Young suffered a potentially serious right knee injury, putting a damper on Washington’s big win against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Browns didn’t have much time to celebrate their biggest win this season before being hit with another off-field issue.

Odell Beckham Jr. is being released by the Cleveland Browns, who are cutting ties with the polarizing star wide receiver and have officially ended his drama-filled stay with the team.

A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that Odell Beckham Jr. has been excused from practice for the second straight day as the Cleveland Browns figure out their next move with the wide receiver.

Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was surprised — but not hurt — by a video posted by Odell Beckham Jr.’s father that has created a rift with the team and could lead to the wide receiver’s release.

Case Keenum stepped in for Baker Mayfield and made the most of his first start in two years, leading Cleveland’s injury-ravaged offense and the Browns to a 17-14 win over the Denver Broncos.

Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will both play Thursday night despite being slowed by injuries.

The Broncos and Broncos look a lot alike these days and it's not just their orange-toned uniforms.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield will sit out Thursday’s game against the Denver Broncos with a painful left shoulder injury and backup Case Keenum will start.

Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield wants to tough it out.

Kyler Murray threw four touchdown passes as the Arizona Cardinals remained the NFL’s only unbeaten team.

Seahawks linebacker Darrell Taylor had movement in all of his extremities after leaving Seattle’s game Sunday night against Pittsburgh late in the fourth quarter on a stretcher with an unspecified injury.

Star running back Nick Chubb will miss the Cleveland Browns’ game Sunday against the undefeated Arizona Cardinals, but wide receiver Jarvis Landry could return to action.

It was a rough day for NFL quarterbacks.

Tyrod Taylor spent just one season in Cleveland but made a lasting impact on Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Good luck getting Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid to ruminate on the fact that he’s nearing NFL history, just one win away from becoming the first to reach 100 with two different franchises.

Browns center JC Tretter believes Kansas City assistant coach Greg Lewis should be disciplined by the NFL for his role in a sideline skirmish with Cleveland safety Ronnie Harrison Jr. on Sunday.

Patrick Mahomes threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns while running for another score as the Chiefs rallied to beat the Browns 33-29.

Case Keenum showed why Cleveland invested in him to back up Baker Mayfield, throwing a touchdown pass and leading the Browns to a 17-13 win over the New York Giants in an exhibition game.

The Giants planned to hit some golf balls as a team bonding exercise.

Mack Wilson’s shoulder injury could push Browns rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah into the starting lineup sooner than expected.

Trevor Lawrence’s professional debut opened with a sack and a fumble, hardly ideal but not too concerning for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Baker Mayfield won’t let dollar signs sack him.

Nick Chubb has signed a three-year, $36.6 million contract extension with the Cleveland Browns.

The NFL’s most discussed stat has been COVID-19 vaccination percentages.

Browns center and NFLPA President JC Tretter feels the NFL is trying to shame players by urging teams to require vaccinated and unvaccinated players to wear different colored wristbands.

The Browns are the latest NFL team to say they'll skip mandated in-person workouts.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers earned his third Associated Press Most Valuable Player award, while Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald took his third top defensive player prize at NFL Honors. Titans 2,000-yard rusher Derrick Henry won Offensive Player of the Year, and the offensive rookie honor went to Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. Cleveland's Kevin Stefanski was the Coach of the Year, and Buffalo offensive coordinator Brian Daboll earned assistant coach honors. Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award for his work in the community. Rodgers had perhaps the best season of his 16-year career, leading Green Bay to a 13-3 regular season, the NFC’s best mark.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers passes during the first half of the NFC championship NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Green Bay, Wis., Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021. Rodgers received 44 votes, followed by Buffalo’s Josh Allen with four, and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, the 2018 MVP, with two. ___9:52 p.m.For turning around a moribund Cleveland franchise, overcoming injuries and COVID-19 concerns, Kevin Stefanski is The Associated Press 2020 NFL Coach of the Year. Ad___9:20 p.m.Justin Herbert is the latest quarterback to win The Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year award. ___8:08 p.m.Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has won The Associated Press NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award.

TAMPA, Fla. – Playing a contact sport in the middle of a pandemic seemed unthinkable to everyone except the NFL when the novel coronavirus shut down the country in March. The league played 256 games in the regular season without any cancellations and made it through the playoffs to get here. “There’s so many people that had to work together to get this done,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday. Though stadiums were empty most of the season, 1.2 million fans attended NFL games when they were allowed. “They need to be smart.”Just as it seems the NFL was for much of the last five months.

Theres no retirement age in the NFL, and thats a good thing for Super Bowl-bound Kansas City and Tampa Bay. (AP Photo/File)There’s no retirement age in the NFL, and that’s a good thing for Super Bowl-bound Kansas City and Tampa Bay. The Bucs signed Brady, now 43, to a two-year contract that created a small Super Bowl window. Now, the Bucs get to face Kansas City at home — the first team in NFL history to play a Super Bowl in its normal venue. New England’s Bill Belichick is the oldest coach to win a Super Bowl.

Jameis Winston threw a 56-yard trick-play touchdown pass to Tre’Quan Smith on his first playoff action after 76 regular-season games over six seasons. In his 72nd NFL game, Henne atoned for an end zone interception with two huge plays to allow the Chiefs to escape with a 22-17 win over the Browns. Rodgers and Tom Brady, making his 14th conference championship appearance in 21 seasons, square off next week at Lambeau Field. If this was it, Brees went out with a whimper: 134 yards passing and three interceptions in the worst playoff game of his career. The Chiefs forced a punt and Henne got the ball back with just over four minutes left.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Chad Henne celebrates after a run during the second half of an NFL divisional round football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, in Kansas City. – The Kansas City Chiefs had lost Patrick Mahomes to a concussion and were in danger of losing the game. With their star quarterback reduced to a spectator, the oft-forgotten bunch opposite Mahomes' high-powered offense forced the Browns to punt in the waning minutes. After the teams swapped field goals, with Butker breaking the Chiefs playoff record with a 50-yarder into the wind, the Browns marched for what could have been a momentum-swinging score heading into halftime. First, the Browns held the Chiefs when Mayfield threw an interception and Butker missed a field goal.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers pumps his fist after an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Los Angeles Rams Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021, in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers defeated the Rams 32-18 to advance to the NFC championship game. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are making a return trip to the NFC title game and this time they get to play it at home. Rodgers and the Packers will host the winner of Sunday’s game between Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints in the NFC title game Jan. 24. Green Bay allowed no sacks and committed no turnovers.

Nearly every team still vying for the Super Bowl has an elite cornerback often capable of shutting down an opponent's top receiver all by himself. The NFC playoff bracket has three of the conference's four Pro Bowl cornerbacks: Green Bay's Jaire Alexander, Los Angeles' Jalen Ramsey and New Orleans' Marshon Lattimore. Staley's scheme has employed Ramsey in multiple roles throughout the season, and his job often changes from play to play. Oddly enough, the remaining playoff team perceived to have the least dominant cornerbacks is defending champion Kansas City, the favorite to make it back to the Super Bowl. “Some of the best cornerbacks happen to play on the best teams, that’s all I can say,” Bills safety Micah Hyde said.

FILE - Cleveland Browns offensive guard Joel Bitonio (75) blocks in the third quarter an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Cleveland, in this Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, file photo. Browns Pro Bowl left guard Joel Bitonio will be activated from the COVID-19 list Friday, Jan. 15, 2021, after missing last weeks playoff win over Pittsburgh. The Pro Bowl left guard has was activated from the COVID-19 list Friday after missing last week’s wild-card win over Pittsburgh. It was a devastating development for Bitiono, who had endured so much losing with the Browns before this turnaround season. On Wednesday, coach Kevin Stefanski returned in person to the team after also missing last week's game with COVID-19.

Then consider the quarterbacks: The Browns' Baker Mayfield hosted the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes during a visit to Texas Tech, before he transferred to Oklahoma. Browns running back Kareem Hunt got his start in Kansas City before off-field issues led to his release. Kansas City has won five straight AFC West titles and still has the tailwind of winning its first Lombardi Trophy in five decades. Very young team,” Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill said. We have to play this game like any other game, come out and play hard and be the Chiefs."

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski looks on from the sidelines during an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020, in Pittsburgh. Positive COVID-19 tests have knocked Stefanski out of Cleveland's wild-card game at Pittsburgh on Sunday night the Browns' first playoff appearance since the 2002 season. (AP Photo/Justin Berl, File)CLEVELAND – Browns coach Kevin Stefanski doesn't plan a trip downstairs to his basement any time soon. Stefanski returned to the team's facility Thursday, 10 days after the first-year coach tested positive for COVID-19 and he was forced to miss Cleveland's playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Stefanski will make his playoff debut on the sideline this week when the Browns play the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Also, Thursday night’s Southeastern Conference women’s basketball game featuring No. 12 Kentucky at Auburn has been postponed because of positive tests, contact tracing and quarantining within the Tigers’ program. ___Georgetown has canceled its men’s basketball game against DePaul on Wednesday night, citing a COVID-19-related issue with the program. Also, offensive line coach Bill Callahan returned to the team after being one of four assistants sidelined by the virus. He missed last week’s game as well with coronavirus, along with Ward, Johnson, wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge and four assistant coaches.

3 UConn after Lady Bears coach Kim Mulkey tested positive for COVID-19. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___Browns coach Kevin Stefanski expects to be back with his team this week after missing Sunday night’s playoff win over Pittsburgh with COVID-19. Stefanski tested positive for the novel coronavirus last week and had to watch Cleveland’s 48-37 victory over the Steelers from his home’s basement. ___The Baylor women’s basketball team has had another game postponed because of COVID-19 issues. Coach Kim Mulkey missed that game after being exposed at Christmas to a family member who tested positive for the virus.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) celebrates as he walks off the field following a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in an NFL wild-card playoff football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. The Cleveland Browns overcame all of it. The Browns dismantled the Pittsburgh Steelers 48-37 in the wild-card round Sunday night, picking up the franchise’s first postseason victory in more than a quarter-century and earning a trip to Kansas City next Sunday to face the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs. The kick bounced into the end zone for a touchback and Mayfield calmly took Cleveland 80 yards in six plays. So much for the Browns being the Browns, a winking assessment Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster made about Cleveland in the middle of the week.

The Browns have raced to a 28-0 lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns’ 28 points are the most by any team in the first quarter of a playoff game since the 1970 merger. So, this will be the first NFL playoff game ever pitting two quadragenarian quarterbacks. Drew Brees is trying to join Brett Favre and Tom Brady as quarterbacks to win a playoff game after turning 40. That was his third career playoff game with 150 or more rushing yards, one game shy of Hall of Famer Terrell Davis’ record.

The first tripleheader of NFL wild-card games saw Tom Brady extend his postseason record for victories to 31 with a 31-23 win for Tampa Bay at Washington on Saturday. After a quarter-century, the Bills got one of those triumphs that Brady collects — and they even figured out how to stop a Hail Mary. The previous playoff win was over Miami on Dec. 30, 1995. And it came in the Bills’ first home playoff game in 24 years, with a limited number of fans in attendance (6,700) for the first time this season. The Ravens averaged an NFL-best 191.9 yards rushing per game and their 3,071 yards rushing were third highest in NFL history.