Brown doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's matchup against the Bengals, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
What it means:
Brown returned to practice Friday as a full participant after being sidelined Thursday due to an illness. The backup tight end has caught five of 10 targets for 45 yards across eight appearances since joining Cleveland midway through the 2022 campaign.
Brown did not participate during the Browns' practice Thursday due to an illness, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
What it means:
Brown appears to have come down an illness since practicing in full Wednesday, as he appeared on Cleveland's Week 14 injury report for the first time Thursday. While the nature of this ailment is still unknown, the 28-year-old will still have one more practice to improve his activity before the team must assign him a game status on Friday's final injury report. Brown played a season-high 40 offensive snaps with top tight end David Njoku (knee) sidelined against the Texans in Week 13, and it's likely he could see similarly increased usage if Njoku remains out Sunday against Cincinnati.
Brown caught his lone target for 11 yards in Sunday's 27-14 win over the Texans.
What it means:
Brown was in the starting lineup as a replacement for the injured David Njoku (knee) and played 40 snaps, the most he's had since joining the Browns in Week 5. The Browns were quarterbacked for the first time by Deshaun Watson, who hadn't played a regular season game since 2020, so they deployed a run-heavy game plan, which calls for a tight end like Brown with elite blocking skills. He's caught five of 10 targets for 45 yards in eight games for Cleveland.
Brown caught two of five targets for 13 yards in Sunday's 39-17 loss to the Dolphins in Week 10.
What it means:
Brown moved up to the second on the depth chart for a second consecutive game due to David Njoku's ankle injury. When Njoku is healthy, Brown's role is typically limited to being an additional blocker to help the offensive line.
Brown was not targeted over 25 snaps in Monday's 32-13 win over the Bengals in Week 8.
What it means:
Brown moved up to second on the depth chart due to David Njoku (ankle) being inactive and played 25 snaps, a high mark since joining the Browns. Cleveland was able to run its offense, which means a low-volume passing attack that resulted no tight end being targeted.
Brown (concussion/neck) is listed as active for Monday night's game against the Bengals.
What it means:
Given that David Njoku (ankle) is inactive for the contest, look for Harrison Bryant to work as Cleveland's top tight end Monday, while Brown and possibly Miller Forristall also mix in. With just nine catches (on 13 targets) for 93 yards in six games (three with Houston and three with Cleveland) to date this season, Brown is only an option for those in deeper fantasy formats.
