The Cleveland Browns and quarterback Shedeur Sanders will be down a few key weapons against the Buffalo Bills.
The Browns have ruled out tight end David Njoku (knee) and running back Dylan Sampson (hand) for the matchup. Right tackle Jack Conklin (concussion) has also been ruled out.
Of Sanders’ five touchdown passes, two have gone to Njoku and Sampson. It’s unfortunate for the Browns, who don’t have a bevy of weapons for Sanders to work with.
Sanders has said his focus this week is to get more completions to bring some consistency to the offense. He’ll have to do so without a couple of his key targets.
“I just got to get more completions,” Sanders said. “And even whenever we’re down or anything, I can’t press, you know, I just gotta remain having those mental notes to myself. Just work within the game and just keep driving the ball, get first downs.”
Browns Shorthanded at Running Back
Sampson has been a nice wrinkle for the offense as a change of pace to Quinshon Judkins. With Sampson out and veteran Jerome Ford on injured reserve, Cleveland will look to Trayveon Williams and Raheim “Rocket” Sanders to pick up the slack.
“We trust Rocket, he’s ready to roll,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Obviously, he was ready to go last week. I don’t think we possessed the ball enough on offense to really get a true look at him. So, if you have a series where you can go rotate a guy in, if there’s a longer series where he can go in, I do anticipate him playing. And when he’s in there, we trust him. He knows what to do, he’s been with us really all season.”
The Browns will also look for creative ways to get Judkisn involved. He’s averaged less than 2.0 yards per carry the last two weeks.
“We got to be creative in ways to get (Quinshon) going. Like if they’re gonna be heavy in certain areas, we gotta find ways to access the part of the field where they’re not,” Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said. “He’s created a lot of explosives for us. He’s carrying games for us, so finding ways to continue to have him impact the game.”
Browns Pro Bowler Denzel Ward Also Sidelined
The Browns will also be without Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward, who will miss his second consecutive game with a calf injury. Earlier in the week, Ward sounded positive he’d be able to get on the field.
“Yeah, I’m feeling good,” Ward said. “Feeling good. Really good.”
Ward was forced to watch last week as the Browns’ defense allowed 31 points in a loss to the Bears.
“It was very tough, seeing it definitely from a different perspective,” Ward said. “I was on the sideline watching, seeing it. We’ve got a lot to work on. But yeah, it was tough. It was tough not being out there with everybody and I always want to fight with my guys.”
The Browns are a double-digit home underdog against the Bills.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Gets Bad Availability News Ahead of Bills Game