David Njoku injury: a high ankle sprain could limit his availability for the Browns-Bills game

It appears that the Cleveland Browns will be without tight end David Njoku for an indefinite period of time. The sixth-year player from Miami left Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens with a high ankle sprain, according to the NFL.

David Njoku has a serious injury and will miss the next game against the Bills

David Njoku
(Source: Wikipedia)

Njoku has averaged 12.3 yards per catch this season for the Browns, accumulating 418 yards and one touchdown on 34 receptions, including 71 yards on Sunday before being forced to leave the Browns’ loss to the Ravens.

Cleveland already has two wide receivers (Jakeem Grant Sr. and Isaiah Weston) on the injured reserve list, as well as a running back (Jerome Ford) and another tight end (Jesse James).

Cleveland has only Harrison Bryant healthy and active in their tight end group with Njoku out for an unknown amount of time. This season, Bryant has only 14 catches for 155 yards, his third in the NFL.

While Pelissero stated that surgery will not be required to repair Njoku’s ankle, if you look at the timetable for several key players on the Buffalo Bills’ 2022 roster who have dealt with non-surgical ankle injuries this season, the tight end could potentially be unavailable as far out as Week 11—when the Bills host the Browns.

Gabe Davis, a wide receiver, missed only one game, Week 2, due to an ankle injury sustained in practice. He was, however, out of commission for more than three weeks.

On the other hand, defensive tackle Ed Oliver left Buffalo’s Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams with an ankle injury and didn’t return to the lineup until Week 5—and even then, he was limited in action. Oliver’s presence was felt the following week when the Bills faced the Kansas City Chiefs, when he recorded a solo tackle and a tipped pass.

Then there’s wide receiver and special teams standout Jake Kumerow, who sprained his ankle in Buffalo’s Week 3 loss to Miami. Kumerow has yet to return to the field.

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While Njoku is out this week, he could return when the Browns visit Buffalo in a month. He might also miss the game. Or he could be back, but not fully recovered. Keep an eye on Clevaland’s injury report over the next few weeks to see how aggressive they are in getting their top tight end back on the field.