The Cleveland Browns are at an odd plateau after seven games. Sitting at 2-5-0, are they still in the division title hunt? Working towards a Wild Card seed? Or looking towards next season?
Are they out of it? A one-game win streak does that sometimes – gives hope.
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The Browns still have 10 games remaining. No, they are not out of anything. A look at their schedule reveals a lot of mediocre to trash teams they can defeat: New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens
(1-5-0? Ouch), Las Vegas Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans, and Chicago Bears. They could possibly work out a win against the New England Patriots this weekend, and maybe the Pittsburgh Steelers in their rebound game.
Running the remainder of the schedule is certainly not feasible, but getting 8-9 wins is not that far-fetched. And right now, Cleveland is just two games out of first place in the AFC North Division. Yeah, not a misprint or typing drunk.
Any roster changes the Browns could make along this journey? The NFL trade deadline is fast approaching, set for Tuesday, November 4 at 4:00 pm (Eastern).
Browns GM Andrew Berry has been busy so far with orchestrating roster trades. Before the NFL draft, he worked out a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars to trade the #2 pick for the #5 selection, plus gain a first-round pick in 2026. Berry then brought in OT Cam Robinson from the Houston Texans, followed by sending veteran QB Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals. Next, he reached out to the Jaguars again and swapped cornerbacks, sending Greg Newsome in exchange for Tyson Campbell.
So, making diligent trades is already on Berry’s mind. And he has shown he will not hesitate to let go of a veteran or a starting player.
For a month now, several media sources have made some suggestions for Cleveland to tweak their roster. We are going to suggest one: TE David Njoku. Should they trade him? Should they stand pat and keep The Chief?
Currently, Njoku is in the final year of the four-year, $56.75 million contract extension he signed before the 2022 training camp. His cap hit is $11.44 million this year and represents 4.1% of the team’s cap number.
Most likely, any roster moves the Browns are considering will be decided after the Patriots game. A victory might make them buyers, while another loss might be the catalyst for the franchise to begin thinking about getting more draft capital and ditching some high-priced contracts.
PRO
Njoku is just 29 years old and still in the prime of his athletic life. He came out of the University of Miami as a receiving tight end who couldn’t block his grandma. When Bill Callahan was with the Browns as the offensive line coach, he taught Njoku how to block. Since then, he has become a very good blocker and has zero issues blocking on running plays or downfield, and will stay engaged with his man.
The dude has made some of the most acrobatic catches we have seen in a long time. His vertical jump is 40.0”. Think about that, standing still and jumping straight up almost four feet. That provides him with a huge leaping ability. Njoku is also adept at catching poorly thrown balls and can contort his body for the throw. That is very helpful with a rookie starting quarterback.
Needless to say, he is an athletic freak. The issues have been that the offense hasn’t thrown him the ball much recently. In 2023, he had 123 targets when Joe Flacco arrived to play quarterback. This year, that number is just 36 with 23 receptions.
That same season of 2023 was Njoku’s Pro Bowl year.
In this year’s NFL draft, Cleveland drafted the nation’s #1 pass catcher in Harold Fannin, who just happens to be a tight end. The vision was that the Browns would go back to their offensive scheme of using a ton of 12 personnel and more two-tight-end sets, with Njoku and Fannin featured.
And so far, the two have been on the field quite a bit. Njoku’s tutelage of Fannin this year has been an important aspect of the rookie’s growth in the league. When he is on and the ball comes his way often in a game, Njoku is electric and productive.
Njoku is a player who doesn’t go down on the first hit. His YAC (yards after contact) is outstanding and annually is in the Top-5 of the league.
For his career, Njoku has played in 112 games with 83 starts, 576 targets, 374 receptions for 3,992 yards, 178 first down conversions, 31 touchdowns, a 64.9% catch ratio, 10.7 yards per reception average, and a YAC per reception of 5.7 yards with a total of YAC yardage being 1,958.
CON
Njoku has been hurt, often, in his career.
Not his fault, though. He is a physical specimen, so it’s not a matter of conditioning or lack of weight training. He is just one of those athletes who will be on a roll, and then something comes up.
Right now, it’s a knee issue. Since entering the league in 2017, he has sustained 10 different injuries, resulting in 25 missed games.
In his rookie campaign, he suffered a lower back sprain. He was out of most of the 2019 season with a broken wrist and was placed on IR. The following season, he spent eight weeks on IR. In 2022, it was a high ankle sprain. Last season, Njoku suffered a knee injury during Week 5’s loss to the Washington Commanders, and then later in the season, he suffered a hamstring pull. This year, Njoku suffered a hyperextension of his left knee during the Week 6 game against the Steelers.
His overall production is a concern. Njoku has never had over 1,000 yards in a single season. Not once. In 2023, he may have sniffed that plateau with 882 yards. The league’s most productive tight ends have multiple seasons getting over this number, yet Njoku hasn’t been close.
Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs has had seven seasons over 1,000 yards, plus another season that he was just 16 yards shy. He has three seasons with double-digit touchdowns and eight seasons where his first down conversions exceed 50. He led the league in this category in 2020 with 79.
San Francisco 49ers George Kittle has had four seasons over 1,000 yards and another where he was just short. He also has three seasons of over 50 in first down conversions.
Njoku has been to one Pro Bowl. Kittle has six Pro Bowl awards on his mantle, along with being First or Second Team All-Pro five times. Kelce has 10 straight Pro Bowl appearances along with seven All-Pro nods. Yet, Njoku is being paid in the same neighborhood.
Not only has Njoku never gone over 1,000 yards in a single season, but he has never come close to 50 first-down conversions in a season.
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Then, there is his contract. Njoku is paid like one of the most productive tight ends in the league. Right now, he is the sixth-highest-paid tight end, yet he doesn’t have the production numbers even close to the other five on the list.
Fannin just might have become the chess piece that Cleveland has been waiting for to replace Njoku as he holds down the F-tight end role. He is a great receiver, and although he needs to improve his blocking, he has very good YAC numbers as well. His presence may justify allowing the Chief to move on.
Finally, Njoku is in the final year of his contract. Berry hasn’t even hinted at giving him an extension. By trading him, Berry eliminates having to deal with yet another contract.
Possible trade partners
If the Browns decide to part ways with Njoku, what should they expect in return? And which NFL clubs would be interested?
Njoku could fetch a conditional 2026 third-round pick, although that just may be a bit too high an estimation.
There are several options.
The New York Football Giants may not be satisfied with young TE Theo Johnson, who has yet to cement himself as a surefire impact player. WR Malik Nabers has been lost for the year with a torn ACL, so the Giants are suddenly lacking good pass catchers.
With the Giants, they might be ready to turn loose OT/OG Evan Neal in a trade scenario. We’re not that far removed from Neal looking like a potential franchise tackle at Alabama, and there should be teams with optimistic scouting reports on him. He is owed only $666,667 over the remainder of the season, so he wouldn’t be an expensive option. The Browns should not be satisfied with their offensive tackle situation, and Neal has played some guard while in the league.
Neal is 6’-7”, 350 pounds, and just 25 years old. The Giants spent the entire offseason converting Neal from offensive tackle to right guard. He finished the final four games of last season without allowing a sack and giving up nine pressures over that span. He finished the 2024 campaign with an 80.8 run-blocking mark, which ranked eighth among 70 qualifying offensive tackles.
Another team that needs a tight end desperately is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In this scenario, Njoku would be reunited with QB Baker Mayfield, who is having a terrific season.
Their starting TE is Cade Otton. Otton is used more for his blocking skills. So far, Otton has started all seven games and has just 22 catches for 231 yards with just 11 first-down conversions and zero touchdowns.
There are rumors that they are interested in Baltimore Ravens TE Mark Andrews, so a position upgrade is on Tampa Bay’s mind, and the club certainly needs it. Njoku would fit right in with Tampa’s offense and give Mayfield the one position of need for their offense this year.
The Bucs have picks available in every round, including both the third and fourth rounds.
