CLEVELAND — When the Cleveland Browns take the field to face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, they'll once again be without David Njoku at tight end.
Two hours before kickoff at FirstEnergy Stadium, the Browns announced that Njoku will once again be inactive, marking the second time in as many weeks that the former first-round pick is a healthy scratch. Njoku had missed 11 games after suffering a fractured wrist in Cleveland's Week 2 win over the New York Jets before returning to catch one pass for four yards in the Browns' Dec. 8 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Asked about Njoku's status, Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens declined to speak in specifics.
“David is working hard, trying to get better, continuing to try to put his best foot forward and see what he can do," Kitchens said.
Njoku, meanwhile, said that he was never given a reason for his healthy scratch status.
"It is what it is," Njoku told reporters. "I can’t really say anything upon it because it wasn’t my request, so I’ve just got to keep going.”
Selected out of Miami (Fla.) in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Njoku has totaled 93 receptions for 1,066 yards and 9 touchdowns over the course of three seasons with the Browns. In his place, Cleveland will rely on Stephen Carlson, Ricky Seals-Jones and Demetrius Harris at tight end.
The Browns full list of inactives for Sunday is as follows:
- WR Taywan Taylor
- S J.T. Hassell
- DE Olivier Vernon
- T Kendall Lamm
- G Drew Forbes
- TE David Njoku
- TE Pharaoh Brown