What to do with David Njoku?
With unrestricted free agency on the horizon, what should the Cleveland Browns do when it comes to David Njoku?
There have been discussions on top of discussions on top of discussions when it comes the future of David Njoku in Cleveland. Coming into the league Njoku was a raw prospect who had athletic gifts, but needed to refine his route running, blocking, and catching. While he has improved in certain areas, the reality is that he is still a player who relies on his athletic gifts rather than technical skills on a regular basis.
In five seasons, David Njoku has 148 receptions, 1,754 yard, and 15 touchdowns over 65 career games. Njoku’s best season came in 2018, catching 56 passes for 639 yards and four touchdowns. Since then Njoku has totaled just 60 receptions for 729 yards and seven touchdowns. While there are plenty of factors in play over his carer, most notably injuries and simply not being part of the game plan, his numbers when examined on a per game basis are hardly impressive.
Over his career David Njoku averages just 2.3 receptions, 27 yards, and 0.23 touchdowns per game. Austin Hooper, a player that is on the cusp of being run out of town, has averaged 2.9 receptions, 27 yards, and 0.24 touchdowns in 29 games with the Browns. Interesting that one player is being championed for a new expensive deal while another has become the poster child of swing and miss signings by this regime with near identical statistics. The key difference is that Hooper has shown he is significantly more productive than this in the three prior seasons in Atlanta. From 2017-19 Hooper averaged 4.3 receptions, 43.8 yards, and 0.29 touchdowns per game (195 receptions, 1,973 yards, and 13 touchdowns total). This is in addition to Hooper being a significantly better blocker than Njoku has any hope of ever becoming.
Cleveland must identify which is the path towards improving the team next season and whether or not signing another tight end to a big contract is in their best interest, regardless of whether or not Hooper is still on the team. With how inconsistent David Njoku has been over the course of his career and the fact he has requested a trade multiple times, perhaps it would be better for the Browns to let the soon-to-be 26-year old walk. The team could then allocate any funds that may have been used on a contract extension for other, more pressing positions of need such as multiple wide receivers, defensive tackles, and defensive ends. Shoring up those areas would make a significantly larger impact on their success over keeping a marginal tight end for nostalgias sake.
