The writing seemed to be on the wall in Cleveland for some time. After the Browns signed fellow tight end Austin Hooper to a record-breaking contract back in March, it stood to reason that David Njoku would want out of Dodge. That’s now the case.
The No. 29 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the 6-foot-4 Njoku has not necessarily lived up to expectations in Cleveland. He’s now going to fall further on the team’s depth chart this coming season.
New Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has no built-in relationship with the tight end. For his part, Njoku missed all but five games to injury this past season.
It might be best for both sides to give the tight end a change of scenery. Still only 23 years old, Njoku caught 56 passes for 639 yards with four touchdowns back in 2018. He seemed primed for stardom after finding a tremendous connection with then-rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield.
There’s a darn good chance that the Miami (FL) product could thrive in a different situation. At the very least, multiple teams will be interested in Njoku.
Cleveland is likely not looking at much more than a mid-round pick for Njoku. We’re late in the offseason process. Rosters are already pretty much set. Unless the Browns can find a way to add a veteran, a fourth-round pick seems to be the ceiling for any trade.
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