Browns: David Njoku thanks fans with murky future ahead

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku might finally be heading elsewhere.

Njoku’s been on the trade block seemingly for the last season-plus, as the Browns have several capable tight ends who could take his place. Cleveland signed Austin Hooper last offseason, and drafted Harrison Bryant out of Florida Atlantic. In 2020, Njoku had just 19 catches for 213 yards. Hooper alone nearly doubled that production, with 46 catches for 435 yards and four touchdowns. Bryant, meanwhile, had 24 catches for 238 yards.

So, what is Njoku still doing here? Great question. Kevin Stefanski loves utilizing multi-TE sets, but having three capable pass-catchers at the position seems like overkill, especially when Njoku could’ve fetched some sort of draft capital on the open market.

Njoku is signed through 2021, but might know something Browns fans don’t

“Whatever happens I appreciate all the love from all my loyal fans. I’ve kept quiet for a while but I wanted to express that at least for now. I love u guys,” Njoku wrote on Twitter.

Were he to be the focal point of an offense, or at the very least the starting tight end, Njoku could put up some serious numbers. He’s done so in the past, but then dealt with injury issues and was eventually replaced in Cleveland. He doesn’t have a place in this Browns offense, as his role is rapidly decreasing. But in 2018 he had 56 catches for over 600 yards in his age-22 season, and was viewed as one of the up and comers at the position.

It’d be a smart decision to buy low on Njoku now. A Day 3 draft pick should get the job done, as he has just one year left on his contract and the Browns have no real need for him. Njoku sees the writing on the wall, which explains his thank you to Cleveland ahead of time.