Cleveland Browns Star Put on Notice for Potential Trade

The Cleveland Browns have decided not to make any major trades thus far this offseason, which seems odd given all of the very tradeable players on their roster.

The Browns have multiple key players entering the final years of their respective contracts, and with Cleveland entering a quasi-rebuilding phase, you would think the front office would have shopped some of its players around more aggressively.

Chris Pokorny of Dawgs By Nature has identified a potential trade candidate in that regard, singling out tight end David Njoku as someone who could get dealt at some point this year.

"Njoku’s $11.4 million cap hit is higher because he’s in the final year of his contract with the team, so that will be something to look out for," Pokorny wrote. "He is not expected to be cut, as there would not be any cap savings; he still has a lot of dead money and guarantees that are on the books. He could be a candidate for a trade, if Cleveland is out of contention at some point."

There are a couple of reasons to be on the lookout for a possible Njoku trade.

First of all, it does not seem all that likely that the Browns will re-sign him in free agency. He is already 29 years old, so he doesn't necessarily fit Cleveland's timeline. He also has been an overall disappointment since being seleced by the Browns in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Additionally, Cleveland just drafted a tight end in Harold Fannin Jr., who led the country in both receptions and receiving yards with Bowling Green last season. The Browns almost surely view Fannin as their tight end of the future, which means they probably won't be all that much room for Njoku moving forward.

Cleveland is not expected to contend for a playoff spot in 2025, so it would not be the least bit surprising if the Browns did try to move Njoku before the midseason trade deadline.