The Cleveland Browns added two tight ends to their roster via free agency and the draft which casts a shadow over the future of David Njoku.
Like it or not, this is a conversation that needs to happen. The future of David Njoku in Cleveland should be questioned. It is not just about signing Austin Hooper. It is not just about drafting Harrison Bryant. It’s both.
Let’s get this out of the way first. Yes, Kevin Stefanski likes to run two tight end sets. Great, we good here? Now that we got that out of the way, Cleveland didn’t add two tight ends with valuable resources in order to keep David Njoku. The Browns very well could have spent money on their defense or used their fourth rounder on a different position. They didn’t, they paid and drafted a tight end for a reason.
Njoku was a player who required development coming out of college. The problem? There hasn’t been much progress in that department. Njoku is a physical and athletic freak, but he is not an NFL tight end at this point in time. Being tall and athletic is not enough, at some point it has to translate on the football field in order to justify being on the roster.
If there was any sort of progress Cleveland would not have gone out and acquired two players who do what Njoku is supposed to do. Austin Hooper is an excellent receiving option and should be the unquestioned starter for the duration of his contract. Harrison Bryant was an excellent tight end in college who was able to produce as a receiving target. Bryant is also able to use his previous experience as an offensive lineman in the blocking department. These are two areas that Njoku struggles in.
The pick of Harrison Bryant seems to be the key factor here. After already bringing in a number one tight end, they doubled down by adding another in the draft. If it was one or the other things would be different. The fact both are now on the team makes the future of Njoku in Cleveland rather murky.
