Shortly after the Cleveland Browns season ended, wide receiver Jarvis Landry made the decision to have surgery on his injured hip. Little did he know at the time, the COVID-19 pandemic would overtake the globe and make his rehabilitation process that much more complicated. During a conference call with media Wednesday, the veteran revealed that he is ahead of schedule, but not expected to return until August.

"The rehab process is going great," Landry said. "It is just a little difficult, obviously, with some of the modality type of things that I have been doing and with quarantine and everything, I have not been able to have access to. That has kind of been the toughest part of it. Right now, I am a little bit ahead of schedule, but the most important thing right now is just taking it day by day. I can't predict when exactly I will be able to feel, whether that is July, August or September, but obviously, my return date is sometime in August."  

When quarantine took effect, Landry had to set aside his professional pursuits and operated in a manner that protected his family.

"Honestly, that was one of the toughest parts for me throughout this whole process. In the beginning I took it seriously and I still take this seriously, but I took it in a way of obviously protecting my family, protecting myself and the people that I love," he explained.

"I took about a month where it was kind of just me going back and forth on FaceTime and using Zoom calls to be able to go through my workout with doctors and things like that to make sure that I was staying the course in my rehab process. Now, at the facility that I train, they do an amazing job of each person's temperature is getting checked and they only allow 10 people in the building at one time. I am making sure that I am there on time to be able to go in there and get the amount of work that I need and get out before the next crew come in and give them time to clean up and disinfect things as we leave and before we come." 

Since entering the league out of LSU in 2014, Landry has accumulated 564 receptions for 6,188 yards and 32 touchdowns. The two lowest reception totals have come in his only seasons with the Browns. To his credit, the 27-year-old has never missed a game in his career; a fact jeopardized by the hip injury.

 "[Not missing a game] is one of the goals that I have set out for myself since I was a kid watching Monday Night Football. It is still something that is in the back of my mind. Obviously, I want to make sure that I am going through this processes the right way, too, and making sure that I am healthy enough to be able to go out there and help the team win games and not hurt the team. Yeah, it is in my mind, but I am really focused on this rehab to make sure that I can be ready for the season."

Earlier this month, quarterback Baker Mayfield blew into a conch shell and assembled several teammates, similar to Ron Burgundy's return in 'Anchorman.' The intent of the assembly was to work through the new offensive playbook and get onto the same page, which is a task commonly reserved for OTAs and minicamp. However, teams have been prohibited from engaging in such activities under quarantine regulations. Acting in self-interest, Landry determined that it was not the right time for him to join his teammates.

"Yeah, I thought about going. At the end of the day, I am in a crucial part of my rehab process. Going out there for a couple of days, I would have to figure out all of the logistics of making sure I had a doctor out there, making sure I had a weight room and things like that. I did not think it would be worth it. Obviously, those guys made the most of it, made the best of it and got better for that week they went out there. We still did Zoom calls and Zoom meetings throughout the week so I was able to be a part of the learning process. I just was not out there on the field with them," Landry finished.

The Louisiana native is entering his third season with the Browns; each has featured a different head coach. The Browns are implementing a new offensive system under head coach Kevin Stefanski so there is a lot for everyone to learn. Landry may not be able to partake until August but, for now, he is at least "ahead of schedule."