Getty Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens.
The Cleveland Browns were not at full strength in the secondary in a 20-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, a big part of that being because of a coach’s decision.
Starting safety Damarious Randall was a healthy scratch for Browns matchup with their AFC North rival, a shocking move considering the team was already running dangerously thin at the position.
There was plenty of mystery surrounding the move and Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens provided little clarity when asked about the situation on Monday.
#Browns Kitchens won’t say why he benched Damarious Randall. “It’s between me and Damarious”
“His status going forward is that he’ll come back this week and I’m assuming we’ll do everything we need to do to get back on the field,” Kitchens said. “I think (Sheldrick) Redwine did an excellent job in the middle of the field, and so did Burris.”
The Browns missed Randall on one play in particular when Steelers wide receiver James Washington burned by Redwine and T.J. Carrie, hauling in a highlight reel catch.
That was incredible.
@JamesWashington hangs on for the unreal TD catch! #HereWeGo #CLEvsPIT
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Watch free on mobile: t.co/uPnyeJSIAR
Freddie Kitchens ‘Didn’t Take It Lightly’ to Bench Damarious Randall
There were reports that Randall did not want to practice during the week, specifically on Thanksgiving. Practice was closed to media on the holiday.
Kitchens would not directly address those reports, but did make it sound like it was an issue that led to the benching.
“I’m not going to comment on why, but sometimes you have to make decisions with 52 other guys,” Kitchens said. “Listen, I don’t take those decision lightly. I know it could potentially effect the team. But sometimes when you make decisions like that it’s for the 52 other guys as well.”
Randall did have some tweets during the week that might have hinted that he was thinking about family during the holiday season.
I miss them family nights playing spades during the holidays…
Trust Not Damaged Between Freddie Kitchens, Damarious Randall
Randall is in a contract year, so every game is important as he looks to be paid among the top players at his position going forward. Kitchens said the incident didn’t have to do with “trust” and that — at least from his side — he has no problem with Randall.
“Damarious has my trust. It has nothing to do with trust. I trust these guys as long as they show me they can be trustworthy. Going forward, I don’t have a problem with Damarious.”
Randall has played in seven games this season with the Browns, collecting 35 tackles and two sacks. He was coming off the best season of his five-year career with the Browns last season where he started 15 games, grabbed three interceptions and had 85 tackles.
Randall and the Browns will look to move on this week to keep their quickly depleting playoff hopes alive against the one-win Bengals. Cincinnati is coming off their first win of the season last week, stunning Sam Darnold and the Jets 22-6. The return of Andy Dalton sparked the Bengals, as the veteran passed for 243 yards and one touchdown.
The Browns opened as 9.5-point favorites for the game, which has a total of 41.5 points.