Steelers Now
Rising Cleveland Browns rookie tight end Harold Fannin suffered an injury during the team’s practice on Friday, and is questionable to play Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Fannin said on Friday that he plans on trying to play after he “tweaked” a groin injury at practice, he told the Akron Beacon-Journal.
The Browns will definitely be without usual starting tight end David Njoku, who has not played since Dec. 7 while sidelined with a knee injury injury.
Fannin, a third-round pick out of Bowling Green, has been one of the bright spots for the Browns this season. In 15 games, the has 70 catches for 701 yards and five touchdowns. He’s sixth among all tight ends in receiving yards and second only to Indianapolis Colts first-round pick Tyler Warren among rookies.
“He’s basically become their go-to option,” Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said on Wednesday. “He can do a lot of things. He’s really good after the catch. He’s a strong runner. He can get into pockets in the zones. He’s a hard matchup for linebackers and safeties. So, he does a lot of really good things. I think he and the quarterbacks, the young quarterbacks, [Dillon] Gabriel and now Shedeur [Sanders], but those guys, those youngsters a lot of times, you work together a lot, so you develop a rapport, and I think you can see that. So, he’s going to get a lot of targets.”
The Steelers are thin on coverage men, as well, with the status of safety Jalen Ramsey (illness), slot cornerback Brandin Echols (groin) and outside cornerback James Pierre (calf) all up in the air for Sunday’s Week 17 contest against the Browns.
Gabriel was also a late addition to the Cleveland injury report on Friday and is questionable with a shoulder injury. Bailey Zappe is on the practice squad and could be elevated in place of him, if Gabriel is unable to play as Sanders’ backup.
Running back Dylan Sampson is also questionable. Sampson would be in line to replace starter Quinshon Judkins, who is out for the rest of the year after an injury last week, but he missed last week’s game with calf and hand injuries. If Sampson is unable to play, Trayveon Williams and Raheim Sanders are the other Browns running backs on the 53-man roster for Sunday’s Steelers game.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Browns Star Rookie Questionable vs. Steelers after Practice Injury
