David Njoku enters top 10 in Cleveland Browns record book

Njoku would need around 200 more yards to pass ninth place, Brian Brennan with 4,148 receiving yards. 

Njoku would have a long way to go to ever claim the top spot, with that honor belonging to hall of fame tight end Ozzie Newsome, who had 7,980 yards in his spectacular career.

The Browns drafted Njoku in the first round of the 2017 draft. The Browns opted to move up from the 33rd pick in the draft to the 29th in a trade with Green Bay. There was something they couldn’t pass on from the Miami tight end. From there, he developed into a productive tight end two behind Austin Hooper, Randell Telfer and Pharoah Brown over the course of several seasons.

Despite missing the majority of the year in 2019, Njoku has been arguably the most reliable weapon on the team since he arrived, and has continued to ascend over the past few seasons. 

In 2023 Njoku had his best season yet, enjoying time with five different quarterbacks, with Joe Flacco being his top option. Njoku caught a career-high 81 passes for a career-high 882 yards and six touchdowns. He earned the only Pro Bowl nod of his career in that season.

This season, Njoku found himself in a slightly different role. Rather than being the lone playmaker at tight end, he joins rookie Harold Fannin Jr. as two of the favorite targets of any quarterback in the backfield, whether it’s Flacco or Dillon Gabriel.

Njoku has caught 20 passes so far this season for 195 yards. He also caught his first touchdown of the season against the Vikings.

Njoku is also the Browns leading receiver since the team returned in 1999. He is 400 yards ahead of the next closest, Jarvis Landry, who had 3,560 yards in his tenure with the Browns.

Njoku will continue to be a safety net for any quarterback the Browns roll out this season. While it’d be a long shot to ever see him take the top spot, expect him to continue to rise up the leaderboard throughout the next couple seasons in Cleveland.