Tight end David Njoku of the Cleveland Browns suffered an injury at home before the team’s win over the Chicago Bears in Week 15, but he still had a strong performance.
Famous for warming up shirtless in all conditions, be it rain, precipitation, snow, even severe frigid temperatures, Njoku is renowned as one of the toughest athletes in the league, so it’s not much of a surprise to see him play despite an injury to his toe.
David Njoku has the classification “NIR – Rest” on Wednesday’s initial injury report from Cleveland. Following his stellar performance against the Chicago Bears in Week 15, tight end David Njoku joined the CW’s “Inside the NFL” program.
Three days before the Week 15 match, the 29th overall choice in the 2017 NFL draft said that he had hurt his pinky toe at home.
The Browns training staff informed the tight end during team practice the day following the accident that stitches would be required to seal the wound. Njoku played without limitations but appeared on the Browns’ injury report on Wednesday.
Tight end David Njoku has been excellent lately, collecting three touchdown passes in his last three games with Joe Flacco at center for the Cleveland Browns. On Wednesday, though, the tight end was listed on the Browns’ injury report.
Just days after hauling in a career-high 10 receptions to go along with 104 yards and a touchdown in the Browns win over the Bears, Njoku joined the CW’s Inside the NFL to talk about Cleveland’s resiliency this season.
However, the show’s panel of Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, Jay Cutler, Chad Johnson, and Chris Long got more than they bargained for as the Browns tight end shared that he actually played in the Bears game with a toe injury that required stitches.
Njoku revealed that he stubbed his pinky toe at his house on Thursday night last week but didn’t think much of it initially, despite experiencing some serious pain. Upon showing up at the team facility the next day, the Browns training staff told Njoku he’d need stitches to close up the wound.
Back before Week 4, the former first-round pick suffered burns to his face and arms trying to light a fire at his house several days before Cleveland hosted the Ravens. There was a lot of uncertainty about whether or not Njoku could even get a helmet on in time for the game, but – remarkably – he found a way to play.
Making the whole situation even more impressive is the fact that he actually led the team in receiving that day with six receptions for 46 yards. While Njoku should probably look into baby proofing his house moving forward to avoid further injury, both the burn incident and this latest one with his toe are somewhat fitting in a Browns season defined by overcoming the unexpected.
So far, Njoku has already posted his best season as a pro with career highs in catches (69), yards (704) and touchdowns (5).
