BEREA — The Browns have opened the 21-day practice window for one player coming off an injury. The window for another player has closed, and it's not going to open again.

Right guard Wyatt Teller was designated for return from the injured reserve list after suffering a medial collateral ligament sprain in a Week 3 loss to the New York Giants. The Browns will have three weeks to determine whether they want to activate him or keep him on the injured list for the remainder of the season, although coach Kevin Stefanski indicated Wednesday the expectation is for him to play Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.

"Good," Teller said Wednesday when asked how he was feeling. "Getting back, declared or whatever, return to play. So see how I feel, see how it is. Ran a little bit, but haven't gone against any mean [defensive] tackles yet. So lot to learn."

Stefanski, though, said running back Nyheim Hines was not going to be activated from the non-football injury list this week. Because his 21-day window opened Oct. 2, that would mean Hines will not play this season.

Teller suffered the injury to his right knee on Dustin Hopkins' 53-yard field goal try with 10:45 remaining in the third quarter against the Giants. He was lined up at right guard on the field goal team next to right tackle Dawand Jones, who rolled into Teller's knee when New York's Rakeem Nuñez-Roches and D.J. Davidson knocked him down on the snap.

"It does kind of suck," Teller said of how the injury happened. "I really wish that it wouldn't have gone down like that. But that being said, it happens. It's usually not me and it happened to me, so yeah."

Rookie Zak Zinter started the first two games in Teller's place, before initially being replaced in Week 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles by Michael Dunn. Zinter had to come in on the second possession and finish out the game after Dunn moved to center because of Nick Harris' ankle injury.

Dunn returned to the starting lineup at right guard last Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Dunn could be an option to play center again depending on center Ethan Pocic's status, as Pocic didn't practice Wednesday after playing against the Bengals.

Teller, 29, only missed one game a season ago. That was when Stefanski rested most of his starters in the regular-season finale at the Cincinnati Bengals.

Teller has played in 86 career games, including his 2018 season with the Buffalo Bills. He's played in 78 games with 71 starts since the Browns acquired him in a late-August 2019 trade from the Bills.

This was Teller's first trip to the injured reserve list. That made it a new experience for him, even if he's had previous issues with his calf.

"Well, first time on IR, so that was weird," Teller said. "Knowing that you're out of it for four weeks, knowing you're out of it for four weeks, sucks. But it's also, as anything goes, the more you think about it, the kind of better it is. Even if I was back in two or three weeks, it gives it a full week to heal. So, yeah, it's one of those things that's, like, I wish I could come back quicker and helped and everything like that, but it's kind of nice to come back and make sure it's right."

A Week 6 calf injury in 2022 cost Teller two full games before he tried to return the week after a bye for a Week 10 game at the Miami Dolphins, but only was able to play 11 offensive snaps before having to leave the game. He did play at least 95% of the offensive snaps in the final eight games of that season.

The calf also was an issue that cost him three games in the 2020 season when he strained it during a Week 5 game against the Indianapolis Colts. He lost games in Weeks 15 and 16 against the two New York teams due to an ankle injury.

Nyheim Hines won't play for Cleveland Browns this season

Hines was one of the Browns' bigger free-agent acquisitions in the spring. However, at the time they signed him, he was still coming back from a knee injury suffered in the summer of 2023 that cost him all of the 2023 season with the Buffalo Bills.

The running back/kick return specialist said during the Browns offseason program he thought he would be back at the start of training camp, or, at the latest, the first of August. Instead, he started camp on the non-football injury list and never found his way off of it, even as the regular season started.

Hines was designated to return Oct. 2, the same day as running back Nick Chubb, who made his season debut last Sunday against the Bengals.

“Yeah, I’ll have more information later on Nyheim but [he] won’t be back this weekend," Stefanski said Wednesday.

If Hines is to play this season, it would have to be with another team. It would require the Browns and Hines to reach an injury settlement and release him.

(This story has been updated with new information.)

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns designate Wyatt Teller for return, Nyheim Hines to remain out