Mono diagnosis sidelines Jets QB Sam Darnold

Sam Darnold is sick and sidelined — likely for several weeks.

New York Jets coach Adam Gase announced Thursday that the second-year quarterback has mononucleosis and will miss at least Monday's game against Cleveland.

Trevor Siemian will start vs. the Browns, and he could be the starter moving forward until Darnold recovers. The Jets play at New England in Week 3 before a bye week.

When a reporter pointed out that mono usually take several weeks from which to heal, Gase nodded. "Oh, I'm aware," he said. "Good thing we've got the early bye week."

Darnold was sent home by the team Wednesday with what Gase said was "strep throat or something." Team doctors later told Gase that antibiotics weren't working as quickly as expected, leading to the diagnosis.

The 27-year-old Siemian signed as a free agent in the offseason after spending last season with the Vikings. He is 13-11 as a starter, all with Denver.

Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr. accused former Cleveland defensive coordinator Gregg Williams of getting him injured in a preseason game two years ago.

In that game, Beckham suffered a severe ankle sprain when then-Browns cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun, a former Gophers player, dived at his legs.

Williams was suspended by the NFL for one season for his role in the infamous "Bountygate" scandal in which the New Orleans Saints were found to have operated a bounty system where players were paid bonuses for hard hits and deliberately injuring players.

Beckham broke his ankle following the sprain, and said doctors told him the injuries were connected.

• The Browns are leaning on their strong bond to support popular defensive end Chris Smith, whose girlfriend was killed in an accident. Petara Cordero, who gave birth to the couple's daughter last month, was struck by a car as she stood on a highway roadside Wednesday. She was 26.

• Redskins running back Derrius Guice could miss as many as eight weeks because of a torn meniscus in his right knee, the Washington Post reported, citing a person with knowledge of the situation. Coach Jay Gruden said Guice underwent a "minor procedure" on Thursday to repair the meniscus but didn't offer a timetable for his return.