2 Cleveland Browns players that could see increased usage with Jarvis Landry out

Sep 12, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) is tackled by Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward (35) during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) is tackled by Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward (35) during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jarvis Landry, Cleveland Browns
CLEVELAND, OHIO – AUGUST 22: Wide receiver Jarvis Landry #80 of the Cleveland Browns walks onto the field during player introductions prior to the game against the New York Giants at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 22, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

The Cleveland Browns will be without Jarvis Landry for a bit, and it’s next man up. 

It was not nearly the performance one would’ve hoped for on Sunday against the Houston Texans, as DPD’s Greg Newland hit on, but the Cleveland Browns did get the job done 31-21. The club looked flat, to some degree, in that one, for whatever reason, and had Houston’s Tyrod Taylor not injured his hamstring near the end of the first half, maybe things could’ve been even more interesting.

Either way, it was not a game where the Browns got away unscathed either, really.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield sustained a shoulder injury when attempting to tackle Houston’s Justin Reid (who later sustained a knee injury in the game), for one. Although there was reportedly no structural damage to that non-throwing shoulder, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (subscription required); Mayfield would head to the locker room, where that was likely popped back into place and Mayfield wouldn’t miss a play.

We’ll keep an eye on that, but a crucial Brown did end up having worse news. Jarvis Landry suffered an injury early on in that win over the Texans that was an MCL sprain, and he was reportedly placed on IR, and will miss a minimum of three weeks, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

As DPD’s Randy Gurzi pointed out, this will be the first set of games that Landry will have missed due to injury in his now-eight seasons in the NFL. So this stings some.

Fortunately, Cleveland has other weapons that can help cushion the blow, and the running game will aid the group. Plus, Odell Beckham Jr. releasing a video that he’ll seemingly likely return in Week 3 versus the Chicago Bears was a nice bit of news, as noted by DPD’s own reporter Noah Weiskopf.

Beckham hasn’t played yet though, and with him coming back from an ACL injury, one would think they’ll gradually work him back into being a key contributor with his workload.

So with that and the Landry news, in particular, in mind, who are a few Cleveland Browns that could see increased usage, then?

We’ll dive into that now, with the first player being David Njoku, from my perspective.