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Since requesting a trade, Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku has been hearing it from the team’s fans on social media, so much so that the former first-round pick addressed it.
“Haha I love the hate it’s that 93 in the gas station for me,” Njoku wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
Haha I love the hate it’s that 93 in the gas station for me
Well, as one commenter put it, if you kicks the dawgs, they will bite. After an offseason where he seemed set on being apart of the future in Cleveland, Njoku fired his agent and quickly demanded a trade out of town.
“Browns TE David Njoku and his agent Drew Rosenhaus asked today for the team to trade him,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said in a tweet. “The Browns told Njoku they would like to keep him, but Rosenhaus told them he’s intent on a trade. They want a trade before training camp.”
“It is in David’s best interest to find a new team at this time,” Rosenhaus told Schefter.
1/2 Browns’ TE David Njoku and his agent Drew Rosenhaus asked today for the team to trade him. The Browns told Njoku they would like to keep him, but Rosenhaus told them he’s intent on a trade. They want a trade before training camp.
David Njoku Appeared Content in Cleveland
What most Browns fans seemed peeved by was the fact that Njoku addressed the competition he faced with the addition of Austin Hooper to the roster and he seemed game for it.
“Nahhhh man cmon I love competition,” Njoku wrote on Twitter in a now deleted tweet responding speculation that he would want a trade more than ever. “We’ll push each other and get better together.”
Njoku has also had good things to say about new Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, but things must have changed during the team’s virtual offseason program.
“I’m really excited. He’s a guy who loves his tight ends,” Njoku said of Stefanski in April. “And we just got a new one, Austin Hooper, who was a big-time get. We are going to have a lot of fun this year.”
Njoku is seeking a bounce-back year after suffering a fractured wrist in Week 2 last season. He battled back into the lineup in Week 14, but dropped a ball that turned into an interception, leading him to be a healthy scratch the next two weeks. He suited up for the Browns final game of the season, but played just four snaps. In all, he had just five catches for 41 yards and one touchdown last season.
“It was pretty hectic last year for sure,” Njoku said on a Browns ‘Working From Home’ segment. “We’re not going to go into right now. That’s behind us. I’m just really excited for this upcoming year.”
David Njoku Not Expected to Fetch High Price in Trade
Njoku certainly has the athletic ability to be an impact player and could inspire a team to take a gamble on him via trade. He’s a physical specimen at 6-foot-4, 250-ish pounds and 4.6 40-yard dash speed. Before his disappointing 2019 campaign, Njoku showed off the possibility of high upside, catching 56 balls for 639 yards and four touchdowns.
But due to his recent lack of production, it’s not likely that the Browns get a nice haul for Njoku via trade and the team has been adamant that moving him is not in their plans.
The Browns have known for about a year that David Njoku was unhappy in Cleveland and would welcome a trade, I’m told. They were not blindsided by this. Early predictions from sources with other teams is Njoku might be worth a 4th or 5th round pick.
If the Browns did grant Njoku’s request, they’d be looking at likely a fourth or fifth round pick in return, according to ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler.
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David Njoku Calls Out Browns Fans With Strong Message