Quarterback Shedeur Sanders may be without one of his key playmakers when the Cleveland Browns take on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Browns record-setting rookie tight end Harold Fannin is questionable for the matchup with a groin injury. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said the injury happened during practice on Friday.

“Just had something come up, and sometimes injuries happen on a Friday, and you just got to see how it progresses to Sunday,” Stefanski said. “I think with all players, you let them rehab and their body will tell you, but he’ll do everything he can to be out there.”

Fannin played down the injury when discussing it after practice.

“I should be good by Sunday,” Fannin said, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. “I’m going to be alright.”

Fannin is the Browns’ top pass-catcher this season. He has 701 yards on 70 catches with five touchdowns. He’s been Sanders’ favorite target, catching 26 passes over the last five games.

“I think with any injury potential, you always prepare, as coaches, a game plan where there’s different guys that can step up into different roles,” Stefanski said. “And sometimes it’s a player at that same position, sometimes it’s a player in a different position. You can pivot into different personnel groupings, and that happens in-game as well. So, you always have to have those contingency plans.”

The Browns have already ruled out veteran tight end David Njoku, who will miss third straight game with a knee injury.

Browns TE Harold Fannin Building Chemistry With Shedeur Sanders

One of Fannin’s best games of the season came during the first matchup with Pittsburgh. He caught seven passes for 81 yards. Fannin only topped that during the loss to the Tennessee Titans, when he caught a career-high eight passes for 114 yards and a touchdown.

Fannin said he’s put in extra work through practices and conversations with Sanders to get on the same page.

“Obviously the practices, but I feel like us just sitting down talking in the locker room,” Fannin said on Dec. 1. “Seeing how he wants things and seeing how I see things and trying to just meet in the middle really.”

Fannin added that he’s noticed clear growth from Sanders, his fellow rookie, as he’s logged more game reps.

“It’s something as simple as him getting us in and out of the huddle quicker, faster,” Fannin said. “Everyone had a thing about him not stepping up in the pocket, but he definitely improved with that. He can throw while getting hit.”

Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Expecting Physical Matchup With Steelers

The matchup will mark Sanders’ first start against an AFC North opponent. He’s bracing for a physical matchup against the Steelers, who lead the division.

“I think that they are physical. I like their physicality. I like how they fly around, get to the ball,” Sanders said.

Sanders will start the Browns’ final two games of the season, barring injury, giving him his last opportunity to show the organization he can be a long-term option at quarterback. While the stakes are clear, Sanders isn’t dwelling on what comes next. Instead, he’s approaching the stretch run one game at a time.

“I live in the present. I’m focused on this week, this game, each week, in every game, like, because nothing’s promised going into next year or anything,” Sanders said. “So, I stay in the moment, stay focused on what I have to do now to even be able to be here next year, and I just enjoy life.”

The Browns will close out their season on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals.