Getty Images Browns tight end David Njoku is tackled.
David Njoku is the king of cryptic posts and the Cleveland Browns tight end revved up speculation with his latest caption on Instagram.
Njoku posted a photo of himself at Tight End University — an event put on by George Kittle, former NFL tight end Greg Olsen and Chiefs star Travis Kelce — with an interesting caption.
“As the war between light and darkness continues, heroes and villains become harder to identify…” Njoku wrote as the caption, quoting Morgan Freeman from the B.o.B. track Bombs Away.
Njoku draws a lot of attention with his posts due to his recent history with the team. The former first-round pick demanded a trade last offseason after the Browns acquired both Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant, relegating him to the No. 3 TE role.
Njoku notched just 19 catches for 213 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He added five catches for 66 yards in the postseason and improved as a blocker, which made him useful beyond catching the ball in Kevin Stefanski’s offense.
Njoku in ‘Good Place’ With Browns
After previously saying he wasn’t on the same page as the Browns and demanding a trade, Njoku is reportedly happy to be in Cleveland, per ESPN Jeremy Fowler.
“The Browns seemed to have weathered the storm with tight end David Njoku, who requested a trade last summer,” Fowler tweeted last month. “I’m told per source that Njoku is in a good place with the franchise.”
The Browns seemed to have weathered the storm with tight end David Njoku, who requested a trade last summer. I’m told per source that Njoku is in a good place with the franchise.
That’s a good thing, considering the Browns exercised Njoku’s fifth-year option. Earlier this offseason Stefanski said he was not aware of Njoku being disgruntled and stressed his importance to the team.
“David is somebody who I respect and value, the production he gave us on the field and the teammate he is,” Stefanski told reporters. ”As it relates to him in particular, I am not aware of that. I know I have had a lot of conversations with a lot of players over the course of the season and over the course of many seasons so I will continue to have that dialogue with all of our guys to see where they are, but I am not aware of anything in particular with David.”
Njoku Still Being Brought Up in Trade Rumors
Getty ImagesDavid Njoku of the Cleveland Browns.
Despite the Browns and Njoku doing everything they can to shoot down trade rumors, his name is consistently brought up.
Njoku was recently named in a Bleacher Report article breaking down the top trade candidates on the Browns. The article also suggested Harrison Bryant could be on the trade block, depending on how the depth chart shakes out.
Some potential deals could be dictated by needs created from injuries, or some teams could just not be happy with the performances of players at that position this summer.
Bryant and Njoku can still be decent pieces in the Cleveland offense if they stay, but neither player is guaranteed of a large amount of snaps with so much talent across the offensive depth chart.
There is a chance that the Browns decide to pull the trigger on a deal if the value is right. But for now, Njoku is a part of the future in Cleveland.