BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns defensive end Takkarist McKinley was ruled out of practice again Saturday, and his timetable of return is one full of questions.
McKinley left practice last Friday with illness. The following day he was back on the field but during practice ran off the field with a trainer, seemingly still ill.
Players were off that Sunday and when they returned to practice on Monday, McKinley was ruled out of practice due to illness again.
On Friday, head coach Kevin Stefanski said McKinley wouldn't practice as he had been excused for a "personal reason" but was "expected back."
When he's expected back is now the unknown.
On Saturday, Stefanski said he doesn't have a time frame for McKinley's return and said he couldn't get into specifics.
"I just don't have a time frame yet," Stefanski said. "I can't really get too far into it."
When asked again if McKinley could be expected back by the start of the season, Stefanski seemed optimistic but was unable to say with certainty when he'd be back.
"I'm hopeful but don't have a time frame," Stefanski said.
McKinley agreed to a one-year deal with the Browns in March.
Selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the No. 26 overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, McKinley recorded 79 total tackles, 17.5 sacks, two passes defended, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
While a great addition for depth, McKinley has struggled with injuries and played in just four games with Atlanta before being released.
McKinley was claimed by the Bengals and then the 49ers in November 2020, but was unable to pass physicals due to a lingering groin injury. He was later claimed by the Raiders and placed on injured reserve, and although he was able to practice with the team in December, he was not activated from IR.
In Cleveland, McKinley is expected to see a rotational role on the defensive line, whenever he is able to return, that is.
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
