The wait is over - the Cleveland Browns have arrived to their Week 15 bout against the nearly undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, but more importantly, they're back home after a two game road stretch.
After their two previous losses to the Denver Broncos in Week 13 and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14, the Browns are 3-10 and out of the playoffs. The pressure, however welcomed, is now gone from the shoulders of the Browns who may have felt they had a comeback left in their bones.
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So, the rest of this season is for evaluation. Whether that's at quarterback, running back, their offensive line, or on their defense, Cleveland clearly needs a revamp at a few select positions. But, with no tank imminent, it's gonna take a handful of moves to succeed in that revamp.
One position that hasn't really needed much help, though, is at tight end. David Njoku has been a fairly consistent receiver and blocker for the Browns this season, but he's had his share of injury woes. He was hurt in the first game of the season against the Dallas Cowboys and sat out for several weeks because of it, and is now off and on the injury report because of a hamstring injury.
David Njoku's status for Week 15
Ahead of Week 15, Njoku was questionable with that hamstring injury that had kept him sidelined from practice all week. He remains questionable ahead of the Chiefs game along with several other Browns players. Cedric Tillman, who practiced a bit before this game, is officially out as he still recovers from a concussion.
Player + Injury | Status for Week 15 |
|---|---|
Joel Bitonio (Back) | Questionable |
Mike Hall Jr. (Knee) | Questionable |
Myles Harden (Tibia) | Questionable |
Khaleke Hudson (Abdomen) | Questionable |
David Njoku (Hamstring) | Questionable |
Cedric Tillman (Concussion) | Out |
As of an hour and a half before kickoff, though, Njoku was listed as OUT for Week 15. Here's the entire list of inactives for the Chiefs game.
Our inactives for Week 15 against the Chiefs pic.twitter.com/QGV8VFrd4D
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 15, 2024
RIley Patterson, a kicker formerly with the New York Jets who just signed to the Browns' practice squad, was elevated to the active roster ahead of Week 15. That throws Dustin Hopkins' status into question as he may get replaced by Patterson for Week 15 and beyond given how inconsistent he's been. A 64 percent accuracy rate on FGs has made his extension in the offseason hurt.
Hopkins, just like Njoku, was listed as out right before the team needed to announce inactives ahead of Week 15. So, it looks like Patterson won the coaching staff over with a week of practice.
Mike Hall Jr. is another big name to monitor ahead of the Kansas City game, as he's been sidelined for most of the season with a knee injury and with being suspended due to a domestic violence incident. Hall seems set to go in this one, though, as he was activated from the injured reserve ahead of the game. He and Myles Harden were both elevated while Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah remains on the IR.