Getty Tight end David Njoku of the Cleveland Browns.
It appeared as if the trade drama was behind Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku, but the whispers are once again growing that he could be dealt.
Njoku demanded a trade this offseason, seeing his role in the Browns shrinking after the team signed Austin Hooper to a big-money free agent deal and drafted Harrison Bryant in the fourth round of this year’s draft.
The Browns unveiled their unofficial depth chart this week and Njoku was listed behind Hooper and Bryant as the No. 3 tight end. The Browns are expected to run a tight end heavy offense under head coach Kevin Stefanski and initially kept a whopping five tight ends on the 53-man roster, further fueling speculation that Njoku could be dealt. Pharaoh Brown and Stephen Carlson were the other tight ends on the 53-man, but the team parted ways with Brown over the holiday weekend.
David Njoku Demanded Trade in Offseason
GettyDavid Njoku
Through his agent Drew Rosenhaus, Njoku demanded a ticket out of town from Cleveland in early July, with Rosenhaus telling ESPN’s Adam Schefter: “It is in David’s best interest to find a new team at this time.” Njoku wanted a new team by the time training camp rolled around, obviously wasn’t the case. He showed up and was a regular participant, outside of some missed practices due to a wrist injury.
Njoku officially dropped his trade demand at the start of camp, writing: “I’m all in Cleveland. Time to work.”
“David Njoku has had some good meetings with the new Browns organization, including GM Andrew Berry, and he has decided to give the team his full commitment right now and go from there,” Rosenhaus said in a email, per ESPN.
Njoku has reportedly been a model teammate during training camp, impressing the new coaching staff, in particular Browns tight ends coach Drew Petzing.
“He has been great on the field in terms of interacting with the other tight ends, interacting with me on a daily basis in terms of asking questions, saying ‘Hey, how did you think this route was? What are we going to do on this combination?'” Petzing said. “I have seen nothing but really impressive engagement. I think he is a guy that a lot of guys on this team respect and really enjoy being around, and you can tell why. He has a great personality, and from my experience, that is really all I have seen.”
Insider: Browns Want to Keep David Njoku
GettyBrowns tight end David Njoku has demanded a trade.
The Browns have been fairly adamant from the start that they want to keep Njoku, which they demonstrated by picking up his fifth-year option in the offseason. Cleveland.com Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot believes that’s still the case, despite the whispers growing that Njoku could be on the move to a TE needy team. In short, the price would have to be right if anything were to happen.
“I think the Browns still want to keep Njoku, and I think he’s still a valued member of their offense,” Cabot wrote in her Q&A column responding to a question about a possible trade. “He can be a force in the red zone if he can be more consistent catching the ball.”
Njoku — the 29th overall pick in the 2017 draft — is a physical specimen at 6-foot-4, 246 pounds with 4.6 40-yard dash speed. In his second season, Njoku essentially doubled his production from his rookie year, collecting 56 catches for 639 yards and four touchdowns.
However, Njoku stumbled last season with a broken wrist and a bad relationship with the coaching staff. He had just five catches for 41 yards and one touchdown in Year 3 and was a healthy scratch down the stretch.
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