BEREA — The injury bug continues to take a bite out of the Browns .
Tight end David Njoku was ruled out of Sunday's game at the Jacksonville Jaguars due to the ankle injury he sustained in the season-opening loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday, "Beyond this week, I can’t, we’ll have to see how it goes.”
That may have been the best injury news the Browns received on Wednesday. The rest of it did not quite paint as rosy a picture for the next month.
Four players — safety Juan Thornhill (calf), defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II (ankle) and linebackers Tony Fields II (ankle) and Mohamoud Diabate (hip flexor) — were all placed on the injured reserve list with various ailments suffered during the loss to the Cowboys. The earliest any of the players would be eligible to return would be Week 6, when the Browns play at the Philadelphia Eagles.
Stefanski did say none of the four players going on IR were believed to be a possibility to miss the rest of the season.
The team added defensive lineman Sam Kamara, cornerback Mike Ford Jr. and wide receiver David Bell from their practice squad, while also announcing the previously reported signing of linebacker Khaleke Hudson off the New Orleans Saints practice squad. Browns 2023 third-round pick Siaka Ika, who was cut last month, also was re-signed to the practice squad, while tight end Geoff Swaim and linebacker Luji Vilain were also added.
"A lot of roster moves on Monday and Tuesday, but that’s part of it," Stefanski said. "(General manager) Andrew (Berry) and the personnel group did a really nice job finding some guys to bring in here that will help us. And again, that’s part of it. You don’t love seeing your guys in boots walking around obviously, but that’s part of it and they’ll bounce back.”
Swaim joins Cameron Latu and Blake Whitehurst as the tight ends on the Browns' practice squad. One of them, at least, will likely be elevated to the gameday roster to provide reinforcements for the lone tight end on the active roster, Jordan Akins
For Thornhill, it's just another setback in what has been a series of them since he signed a three-year free-agent deal with the Browns in March 2023. All of those setbacks have involved calf injuries.
Thornhill was limited to just 11 games during the regular season last year while battling calf injuries, including one that held him out of five of the last eight games. He played 60 snaps, 95% of all defensive snaps, during Sunday's opener, and tied for the team lead with nine combined tackles.
“I think they’re all related to each other when you’re talking about any type of lower body extremity," Stefanski said. "But he’s worked so hard in the offseason. I think he’s in great shape, just an unfortunate thing. He stays on top of it, we stay on top of it, but unfortunately, he’s out for a few games.”
It's a continuation of a career-long struggle for Hurst, who's only played more than 13 games in one season since the Oakland Raiders made him a fifth-round pick in 2018. It was one of the reasons why the Browns were able to initially sign him to a free-agent deal in 2023, after he had missed all of the 2022 season with a torn biceps.
Hurst was a locker room favorite a year ago, but had his season ended after playing just 13 games with a torn pectoral muscle. He had three tackles and a tackle for loss over 25 defensive snaps (40%) and seven special-teams snaps.
Fields and Diabate continue a trend that started all the way back in camp, which was when the injuries first hit the Browns linebackers. That started with a leg injury for Fields, who missed several weeks of camp before finally returning the last week of August.
Fields was injured with 13:16 remaining in Sunday's game on a 3-yard run by the Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott. He returned for a moment on the next Dallas kickoff before being ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Fields played 14 defensive and 24 special-teams snaps against Dallas. He finished with two tackles.
Diabate initially suffered the hip injury in the first half against the Cowboys, but continued to play. He was ruled out with 8:42 remaining in the third quarter after having played six defensive and 21 special-teams snaps.
This is a developing story. Check back here for more updates.
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 out vs. Jaguars, while Juan Thornhill tops 4 Browns headed to injured reserve
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