Browns Week 16 Inactives vs. Texans
The Browns have ruled out X players on their inactives list for their Week 16 matchup in Houston.
Here is the full list:
S Juan Thornhill
LB Anthony Walker Jr.
CB Kahlef Hailassie
LB Jordan Kunaszyk
DE Ogbo Okoronkwo
C Luke Wypler
DE Isaiah McGuire
The most notable aspect of the inactives list is that All-Pro guard Joel Bitonio, who dealt with back and knee injuries and only practiced in limited fashion Friday, is active. Bitonio only played 11 snaps last week against the Bears before exiting with the injuries.
Dec 3, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Cleveland Browns safety Juan Thornhill (1) and safety Ronnie Hickman (33) celebrate against the Los Angeles Rams in the first half at SoFi Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Kunaszyk (calf), Okoronkwo (pectoral), Thornhill (calf) and Walker (knee) were all ruled out on Friday’s final injury report. The Browns announced Friday that Walker, one of the team’s top leaders and their starting middle linebacker, had an arthroscopic knee surgery Thursday, putting his status for the rest of the season in question as the Browns continue to fight for a playoff spot.
Kunaszyk, who had primarily been a special teams player, will miss his second straight game and 12th game this season.
Thornhill, the Browns’ top safety, will miss his third straight game, which will leave starting safety duties once again to Ronnie Hickman and D’Anthony Bell, who both played well in their first career starts last week.
Okoronkwo will miss his second straight game of the season. His chances of returning this year are also up in the air, which has left a hole in the Browns’ defensive line — he’s second on the team behind Myles Garrett (13) with 4.5 sacks.
With the Steelers and Bills winning on Saturday, the Browns will have to wait until next week to officially clinch a playoff berth. Their odds at clinching will jump above 99 percent on the New York Times Playoff Simulator, however, if they win Sunday in Houston.
