Browns rookie TE Harold Fannin Jr. suffers injury in practice ahead of Steelers game

Going into Week 17, the Cleveland Browns seemed to be getting healthier as a team, as Denzel Ward and Dylan Sampson both returned to practice on Wednesday.

What was known was that tight end David Njoku was not practicing today, as he is still battling the knee injury he suffered against Tennessee.

What is new from today is that rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. suffered a groin injury during practice, and he is now questionable for Sunday’s game vs Pittsburgh. Fannin has not missed a game yet this season, he previously was questionable for the Week 10 matchup vs the Jets, but played through a hamstring injury.

Browns TE Harold Fannin Jr. suffered a groin injury during today’s practice, and the team wants to see how he feels this weekend before deciding whether he can play Sunday vs. the Steelers.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 26, 2025

The lone bright side of the status is that Fannin is just questionable; it is not fair practice to speculate on injuries before the story is out, but if the injury was more severe, he would have been ruled out because it is very close to the game.

The tight end position for Cleveland is taking a hit. David Njoku has been ruled out for Sunday’s game, and if Fannin can not play, it would be Blake Whiteheart starting against Pittsburgh in a very important game for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh can clinch a playoff berth and the AFC North crown with a win on Sunday or a Baltimore loss versus Green Bay on Saturday.

Fannin has been the favorite target of rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, as since Sanders has started, he has targeted Fannin 42 times in five starts. Fannin not being able to play would be a big blow for a Browns offense that has been destroyed by injuries for the entire season.

In the first game against Pittsburgh on Week 6, Fannin caught seven passes for 81 yards on 10 targets from Dillon Gabriel. Fannin was the leading receiver for Cleveland that day and is the Browns' leader in receiving yards (701) and receptions (70) on the season.

Fannin just set the Browns' rookie record for receptions in a season as he passed the 66 reception mark set by Kevin Johnson in 1999. He would be looking to extend that record even further, and also get into the top five of receiving yards by a rookie in Browns history, as he needs just nine more yards to pass Greg Little.

Fannin’s status is not yet set for Sunday’s game, but the injuries continue to pile up for the young and struggling Browns team.