The Cleveland Browns had a disappointing performance in Week 1 as they fell to the Dallas Cowboys, 33-17, in Cleveland. The outing from Deshaun Watson certainly sparked plenty of reactions for the signal-caller, and the Browns need a bounce back in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Unfortunately, they will be without tight end David Njoku as he deals with an ankle injury, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

‘Browns HC Kevin Stefanski ruled out TE David Njoku for Sunday’s game at Jacksonville due to his ankle injury.'

Njoku had four catches for 44 yards in five targets, leading the team in yards in Week 1, so it will be a tough loss for Cleveland. In 2023, Njoku emerged as a primary target for the offense, catching 81 passes for 882 yards with six touchdowns while setting career highs in every category.

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Browns' plan without David Njoku 

With Njoku on the shelf, the only other active tight end on the roster is veteran Jordan Akins. The longtime Houston Texans player had three catches for 27 yards in the opener and had just 15 catches for 132 yards in 17 games for Cleveland in 2023. Still, the two leading pass catchers in Week 1 were both Njoku and Akina with Jerry Jeudy catching just three passes despite being targeted eight times.

He is primarily a blocker, so it will be worth monitoring to see if the Browns make an additional roster move. They did host a number of tight ends for a workout on Tuesday, including Geoff Swaim, Irv Smith Jr., and Tommy Sweeney.

Moreover, this is just another injury blow for the Browns, who placed four defenders on Injured Reserve on Wednesday morning and have a few others nursing injuries ahead of Week 2. The Browns face the New York Giants in Week 3, so the status of Njoku will be something to monitor over the next couple of weeks.