Why is David Njoku still here?

The Cleveland Browns finalized their initial 53 man roster and for some reason first round disappointment David Njoku is still here.

One of the great mysteries of this past offseason is how David Njoku is still on the Cleveland Browns roster. Wait, let’s back up a second. The first mystery is why in the world the team picked up his fifth-year option, Njoku has not performed up to a level the warranted his option being picked up. This is one of the first mistakes from the Andrew Berry regime. One of the latest is keeping Njoku on the roster as things sit currently.

What has David Njoku done recently or in the past that would convince the Cleveland Browns that he is worth keeping? The answer is nothing, absolutely nothing. Even when people want to describe what Njoku has done in the past as “good” it is still underwhelming. To be blunt, David Njoku is not someone who has shown he can catch the ball on a routine basis and he is someone who cannot block at an acceptable level. The ability to do one or the other is a prerequisite to being an NFL tight end. At this point making a tackle eligible is more valuable than Njoku due to his liabilities in every facet of the game.

Adding to the issue with David Njoku is that the Browns added two additional and significantly better players at his position this offseason by signing Austin Hooper and drafting Harrison Bryant. The front office actively found replacements for Njoku while still keeping him on the roster for some bizarre reason and now he is third on their depth chart.

The reality is Cleveland should have granted his trade request in the offseason and sent David Njoku packing. The fact that there was not a single team that offered anything noteworthy should signal how other organizations view the former first round pick. What other teams think of players and the process of an organization matters even though so many people are quick to dismiss it.

This brings everything full circle to the question that started everything. Why is David Njoku still here? There is not a football or a financial reason why, so it can only be attempting to justify a former pick by someone who is viewed as a visionary even though he was a complete failure.