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Browns TE David Njoku, OTs Jedrick Wills Jr., Jack Conklin questionable vs. Commanders
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- Browns TE David Njoku, OTs Jedrick Wills Jr., Jack Conklin questionable vs. Commanders
BEREA — Tight end David Njoku was on the practice field Friday for the Browns . So, too, were offensive tackles Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin .
All of it seems like a positive sign that three of the Browns ' most significant injured players could return to action Sunday when they play at the Washington Commanders .
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Njoku, Wills and Conklin were among five Browns players listed as questionable on Friday's injury report. Cleveland ruled out linebacker Jordan Hicks (ribs, elbow, triceps), offensive tackle James Hudson III (shoulder) and defensive end Alex Wright (triceps), while making official that neither Nick Chubb (knee) nor Nyheim Hines (knee) would be activated from the physically unable to perform or non-football injury lists.
Wright underwent season-ending surgery on his triceps Thursday. He will eventually be placed on injured reserve.
"Yeah, disappointed for Alex," head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "He was playing well for us, made some really big plays, none bigger than that play in Jacksonville . So disappointed for him. I know he'll bounce back. Already had the surgery, excited for him to get back when he does, but ultimately it's never fun when you lose a guy for a year like that."
Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) is all smiles before an NFL preseason football game at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Njoku's return may be the most important, if only for what he provides as both a pass catcher and a blocker. He's been sidelined since he suffered an ankle injury at the end of a 27-yard reception in the third quarter of a season-opening loss to the Dallas Cowboys .
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The tackle by Erik Kendricks was not flagged. The hip-drop form of tackling was outlawed in the NFL starting this season.
"Yeah, I thought it was, right?," Njoku said when asked if he believed it was a hip-drop tackle.
The Pro Bowl tight end was coming off a career season last year when he had 81 catches for 882 yards and six touchdowns. Njoku has also been one of the team's better blockers in the run game, which has struggled significantly all season.
Njoku practiced on Wednesday before taking Thursday off. Friday was the third practice he had gone through since the injury, the other coming the Thursday before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders .
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"I feel pretty good," Njoku said. "Yeah. Follow whatever Kevin tells me to do and go from there."
Wills (knee) and Conklin (hamstring) could provide a boost to an offensive line that has spent the entire season in an injury-fueled flux. Conklin hasn't played all season as he was first returning from last year's left knee injury before a hamstring injury happened before the Week 3 loss to the New York Giants .
The Giants game was the season debut for Wills, who was returning from a right knee injury that ended his season in Week 9 last year. However, he reinjured the knee when New York defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux rolled into the leg in the third quarter.
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"Yeah, feel pretty good," Wills said, who said he wasn't certain about Sunday.
There remains multiple potential combinations the Browns could end up going with along their offensive line in Sunday. It does seem like the three spots which are all but certain are Joel Bitonio at left guard, Ethan Pocic — who left the Raiders game with an ankle injury — at center and rookie Zak Zinter at right guard.
Dawand Jones still remains the right tackle for now as well. However, what happens at left tackle remains a question, except to Stefanski.
"Yeah, I think we have a decent idea," Stefanski said. "What you have to do when you're dealing with players that are coming back from any injury, you got to make sure that every day you're seeing how guys are feeling, how they respond to practice, those type of things. So, we'll see how everybody does, that's really up and down the roster from an injury perspective."
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Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: David Njoku, tackles questionable for Browns against Commanders
