CLEVELAND — Members of unions representing Cleveland police officers and paramedics have said they won’t hold a large U.S. flag during pregame ceremonies before next Sunday’s Browns season opener after a group of the team’s players knelt during the national anthem before a preseason game last month.

Steve Loomis, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, cited his service in the U.S. Navy when he told WKYC-TV he was astounded that Browns management knew of the protests but allowed it to occur.

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  Browns players linked arms while standing in a line together during the national anthem before Saturday night’s preseason game against the Bucs, a day after team legend Jim Brown stressed unity to them when addressing societal issues.

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  Erica Harris DeValve, the wife of Browns TE Seth DeValve, said focusing on her husband kneeling with black players distracts “from what our real focus should be.”

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  A dozen Browns players knelt in a circle to pray during the national anthem before Monday night’s preseason game. Several other players stood nearby and put their hands on a kneeling teammate’s shoulder.

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“I am not going to participate or work with management that allows their players to disrespect the flag and the national anthem,” Loomis said.

Nearly a dozen Browns players knelt in a circle and prayed in silent protest during the anthem before a preseason home game Aug. 21 against the New York Giants. A smaller group of players placed hands on the shoulders of their kneeling teammates.

A team spokesman issued a statement at halftime that said the organization has a “profound respect” for the national anthem, the U.S. flag and those who serve in the military.

“We feel it’s important for our team to join in this great tradition and special moment of recognition, at the same time we also respect the great liberties afforded by our country, including the freedom of personal expression,” the statement said.

Dan Nemeth, president of the Cleveland Association of Rescue Employees Local 1975, said he had a similar reaction to Loomis’. He told Cleveland.com that he served in the U.S. Marine Corps and finds it “hypocritical” for Browns management to say it supports the military while allowing players to kneel during the anthem.

“When I was growing up, we were taught to stand every morning, put our hands over our hearts and say the Pledge of Allegiance,” Nemeth said. “And when we did that, we typically had someone holding the flag in front of the class. For them to disrespect the flag by taking a knee did not sit well with me.”

About 30 Browns players stood arm-to-arm in a line behind the rest of the team during the national anthem before an Aug. 26 preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Aaron Donald still hasn’t reported to the Los Angeles Rams, and there is no telling when he will. But first-year head coach Sean McVay speaks to Donald on the phone from time to time. They talk about football, nothing else — and usually it’s McVay who reaches out first.

“I’ve kind of been chasing him around like I’m chasing a girl in high school,” McVay said, laughing, on Saturday, eight days before his team begins its season. “… I’ve reached out to Aaron, but it’s kind of been a back-and-forth. He’s a guy that I enjoy talking to. I’ll enjoy it a lot more when I see him in person.”

Donald’s holdout will hit 38 days by the end of this week, which amounts to $1.52 million in fines — nearly as much as his $1.80 million base salary for 2017.

The crucial day is seemingly Monday, Labor Day, one McVay called “the first day of true preparation for our team and for the Colts.” The Rams will then be off on Tuesday. If Donald doesn’t report by Monday, it will be hard to envision him playing in the Sept. 10 opener against the Indianapolis Colts.

“I’m an optimistic guy,” McVay said when asked if he was hopeful of seeing Donald on Monday. “I’m always going to take the positive approach.”

But there hasn’t been any indication that a deal between the defensive end and the Rams is close. The Rams’ front office — a contingent that included COO Kevin Demoff, general manager Les Snead and senior assistant Tony Pastoors — flew to Atlanta to meet with Donald’s representatives at CAA on Wednesday, but weren’t any closer to a deal by the time they left.

“Aaron’s a very special player to us,” McVay said. “We want him here, and we want him to be a part of this. With what these players have started to create, I think it would be special to have Aaron be a part of that.”

The Rams have continually said the right things publicly — dating all the way back to early March, when Snead said at the scouting combine that Donald “deserves a raise” — but apparently haven’t put the right things on paper.

Demoff, Snead and Pastoors have made it a point to keep McVay out of the details of their negotiations. McVay appreciates that. It allows McVay to focus only on football in his conversations with Donald. They talk about what he has missed and how he fits, and McVay tells him how badly he wants him around. He believes the feeling is mutual.

“He wants to be here,” McVay said of Donald. “We respect their approach and where they’re at, their stance, based on what they want to get accomplished out of these things. But with regards to mine and Aaron’s dialogue, it’s been exclusively player-coach football related stuff. That’s what you want it to be.”

With Donald out, the Rams’ only solidified starter in 3-4 base sets appears to be Michael Brockers. The other five down linemen, after the Rams trimmed their roster to 53 players, are Ethan Westbrooks, Louis Trinca-Pasat, Morgan Fox, Tyrunn Walker and Tanzel Smart. They all have a chance to get significant playing time now.

Donald is owed less than $9 million in base salary from 2017 to 2018, representing a significant gap between him and the game’s highest-paid defensive players. Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller signed a six-year, $114 million contract that guarantees him $70 million, and Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh signed a six-year, $114.375 million deal that guarantees him nearly $60 million. But Miller and Suh got their deals after five NFL seasons, not three.

We’ve been tracking significant preseason injuries all summer, starting with Week 1 and including Week 2 and Week 3.

Because the NFL’s most notable players were safely tucked away in Week 4, let’s use this opportunity to review the top 10 (or so) injuries since the start of training camp — and examine their longer-term implications. Late-breaking Week 4 injuries — most notably, Cincinnati Bengals rookie receiver John Ross’s knee ailment of unknown severity — will be updated as warranted.

Ryan Tannehill, QB, Miami Dolphins

Injury: Torn left ACL

Date injured: Aug. 3, in practice

Looking ahead: Tannehill will miss the season, but the Dolphins rebounded about as well as could be expected by luring Jay Cutler out of retirement. It’s reasonable to think that Cutler, still young at 34, could perform at about the same level as Tannehill would have in 2017. Tannehill should be able to resume his role in 2018, but it’s worth noting that the Dolphins could release him in March while absorbing a modest $4.6 million salary-cap hit.

Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots

Injury: Torn right ACL

Date injured: Aug. 25, in preseason Week 3

Looking ahead: Edelman will miss the season, robbing quarterback Tom Brady of his favorite target from the past four seasons and a player who has accounted for a team-high 195 first-down receptions during that span. The Patriots are fortunate to have one of the deepest groups of experienced receivers in the NFL, from Danny Amendola to Chris Hogan to Brandin Cooks to Malcolm Mitchell. Tight end Rob Gronkowski also made it through the preseason healthy. But there is no denying the unique nature of the Brady-Edelman connection.

Cameron Meredith, WR, Chicago Bears

Injury: Torn left ACL, MCL

Date injured: Aug. 27, in preseason Week 3

Looking ahead: Meredith was the Bears’ leading receiver in 2016 (66 receptions, 888 yards), and there was every reason to think he would build off of that performance. Injuries have hampered the Bears’ attempt to deepen their receivers group. Free-agent acquisition Markus Wheaton underwent an emergency appendectomy at the start of camp and then broke his pinky finger Aug. 13 in practice. Another free agent, Rueben Randle, was placed on injured reserve because of a hamstring injury. Wheaton should be ready for the season, but the key to this group will be 2015 first-round pick Kevin White. Now is the time for him to emerge as a No. 1 receiver.

Quincy Enunwa, WR, New York Jets

Injury: Bulging disc in neck

Date injured: Aug. 5, in practice

Looking ahead: Enunwa needed surgery and will miss the season, removing from the lineup one of the few genuine threats in the Jets’ passing game. (He averaged a team-high 14.8 yards per reception in 2016.) When you add in the free-agent departures of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, and the season-ending ACL tear suffered by Devin Smith this spring, you don’t see many offensive playmakers remaining on the roster.

Spencer Ware, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

Injury: Torn right PCL, LCL

Date injured: Aug. 19, in preseason Week 3

Looking ahead: Tearing a PCL is relatively rare and extremely serious in terms of maintaining a professional football career. Ware will miss at least this season. If there is good news for the Chiefs, it’s that rookie Kareem Hunt — a third-round draft pick from Toledo — has been impressive this summer and is relatively ready to jump into Ware’s role.

George Fant, LT, Seattle Seahawks

Injury: Torn ACL in right knee

Date injured: Aug. 18, in preseason Week 2

Looking ahead: Losing a left tackle for the season is almost always a major setback for a team, and it’s no different for the Seahawks. No matter what optimism you hear about second-year player Rees Odhiambo, Fant’s likely replacement, rest assured that most NFL teams are lucky to have a good first option at left tackle, let alone a competent backup. To be sure, Fant had plenty of work to do himself in order to become an upper-tier player. But he had gained 25 pounds in the offseason and had a full season of starting experience under his belt. At the very least, quarterback Russell Wilson’s blind side will be in inexperienced hands.

Ryan Kelly, C, Indianapolis Colts

Injury: Broken foot

Date injured: Aug. 13, in practice

Looking ahead: Kelly had surgery in mid-August and was projected at the time to need six to eight weeks of recovery time. That would put him back on the field before midseason but still leave the Colts without an important player for an extended period of time. For now, they’ve replaced him with undrafted rookie Deyshawn Bond. Inexperience at center often leads to offensive struggles, especially early in a season.

Kerry Hyder, DL, Detroit Lions

Injury: Torn left Achilles tendon

Date injured: Aug. 13, in preseason Week 1

Looking ahead: It’s not easy to replace an interior disruptor that erupted for eight sacks last season, and the Lions will have the extra burden of doing it without one of Hyder’s key backups. Defensive tackle Jordan Hill went on injured reserve this week because of a biceps injury, in essence leaving the Lions without two of their top five interior defenders before the season starts. They also have spent the summer without defensive end Ezekiel Ansah, who has been on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list because of an undisclosed injury. Ansah is expected to be activated soon, but it’s not reasonable to expect him to be at full strength right away.

After another injury-filled preseason, the 2017 NFL regular season will kick off on Sept. 7, with the defending champion New England Patriots taking on the Kansas City Chiefs.

How will each contest play out? Our NFL Nation reporters predict the results of every game of the 2017 season. Click on the links below to read more about each team, sorted by how our writers think they will end the regular season.

Note: These predictions are made in a vacuum by each individual writer for the team he/she covers, and the game-by-game results will not match up.

Teams predicted to go 12-4

Ho hum. Another season, another division title for the Patriots. But it won’t be a cakewalk. Read more.

In order to have the NFC Championship Game at Lambeau, the Pack will likely need a dozen wins, but that’s not out of the realm of possibility. Read more.

Teams predicted to go 11-5

It appeared the Cardinals had a tough stretch to open the season, but injuries (and suspensions) impacting opponents should result in a hot start. Read more.

A new stadium, a stacked offense and the best defense of Dan Quinn’s tenure have the Falcons hopeful of a return to the Super Bowl. Read more.

Though concerns remain on Cam Newton’s shoulder, the offseason addition of Christian McCaffrey and homecoming for Julius Peppers should get the Panthers back in the playoff hunt. Read more.

A 5-1 mark against AFC West foes has the Chiefs in the driver’s seat for a playoff return. Read more.

The Steelers enter 2017 as a trendy Super Bowl pick, but a dangerous back end of the schedule should temper expectations some. Read more.

It’s another step forward for Jameis Winston & Co., and a playoff appearance isn’t out of the question. Read more.

Armed with added talent on both sides of the ball, a manageable schedule and a weak division, the Titans are in great position to score a two-game improvement over 2016. Read more.

With health issues seemingly mitigated, the Seahawks have a great shot at another NFC West crown. Read more.

Teams predicted to go 10-6

A slew of injuries in the defensive front seven overshadowed the QB competition this preseason, but that dominant D will carry the club once again. Read more.

A late-season push results in a double-digit win total for the club’s initial season in L.A. Read more.

The pass-catching firepower is there, but a shaky offensive line will have trouble facing the NFC West and AFC West. Read more.

The Raiders will have to solve the Chiefs to finish the penultimate season in Oakland with a division title. Read more.

Teams predicted to go 9-7

The Ravens haven’t made the playoffs since 2014, and open with a brutal five-game stretch. Read more.

The Bengals have the makings of an explosive offense, but the loss of Vontaze Burfict for three games and questions on the O-line may scuttle the chances for a playoff return. Read more.

The Cowboys’ chances at repeating as division champs will be influenced by Ezekiel Elliott’s availability, but they should remain in the playoff mix. Read more.

The return of J.J. Watt will yield strong dividends as the Texans look to win a third straight division crown. Read more.

Carson Wentz, other young Eagles will make a serious push for the playoffs. Read more.

Teams predicted to go 8-8

An injury at a critical position on the offensive line may mean another mediocre season in the D. Read more.

The Vikings changed their makeup on both sides of the ball this offseason, but the resulting record may well end up the same as 2016. Read more.

The Saints will break their string of 7-9 seasons, but remain at arm’s length from the top teams in the division. Read more.

A tough stretch in the middle of the 2017 schedule will make or break the season for Washington. Read more.

Teams predicted to go 7-9

Uncertainty about Andrew Luck’s health has raised the chances of a losing record for the first time during his tenure in Indy. Read more.

A favorable early schedule means the Rams have a chance to take a big step forward. Read more.

A slew of injuries to key players and a tough schedule may prevent a return to the playoffs for the Dolphins. Read more.

Team predicted to go 6-10

A daunting schedule may be too much to overcome for the Bears, despite an impressive rookie class. Read more.

Teams predicted to go 5-11

It’ll likely be tough sledding as a new regime takes control, particularly after Sammy Watkins and Ronald Darby were traded away in August. Read more.

The 49ers will be more competitive than a season ago, but there’s too much to fix to put them in playoff contention right away. Read more.