Is David Njoku playing today? Browns TE's status revealed for Week 16 clash vs. Bengals

Tight end David Njoku was unavailable for the Cleveland Browns in last Sunday's 21-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs because of a hamstring ailment. He had been categorized as questionable after not practicing throughout the week before the team left him out of the lineup for the game.

Njoku, who caught five touchdown passes for Cleveland this season, did not participate in Wednesday or Thursday's practice this week. However, he was able to take the practice field in a limited capacity on Friday, putting his availability status for Week 16 in uncertainty. The Browns, who are 3-11 on the season, will aim to play spoiler when they meet the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on Sunday.

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Exploring David Njoku's availability status for Week 16

The Cleveland Browns officially designated tight end David Njoku as "questionable" on their final injury report on Friday after he was unable to log any full practice participation throughout the week. The star tight end was a limited participant in Friday's session, but that was not enough to avoid a designation.

Although it's still uncertain if Njoku will play, the Browns may elect to leave out the 28-year-old tight end once more if they believe he's not at his best health-wise, especially since they are no longer in the race for the playoffs.

Additionally, since Dorian Thompson-Robinson is anticipated to start at quarterback rather than Jameis Winston, it's likely that the Browns will choose to downgrade most of their offensive starters against Cincinnati. The team may also choose to exclude Njoku if that is the case.

In response to a question regarding Njoku's condition on Friday coach Kevin Stefanski said (Per ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi):

"He's very motivated to play. We'll see how he responds to practicing today and make the decision.”

Njoku's final status will be known when Cleveland releases their inactives 90 minutes before the Bengals vs. Browns game, which is set to start at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.

David Njoku has caught 56 passes for 439 yards and five touchdowns this season. The Browns used Jordan Akins as their starting tight end while he missed out due to an injury earlier in the season. If Njoku can't play on Sunday, Akins will probably be his replacement again.

Defensive tackle Shelby Harris was ruled out on Friday because of an elbow injury. CB Martin Emerson (concussion), WR Cedric Tillman (concussion), and Jameis Winston (shoulder) were designated as questionable.