Getty Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku.
David Njoku wants a trade from the Cleveland Browns. It appears the former first-round pick also wants “vengeance.”
Njoku sent out an Instagram post this week with “vengeance..” as the caption on a clip of running routes.
As for the vengeance Njoku is seeking, who knows. Maybe it’s vengeance against his critics and doubters, who don’t believe Njoku can live up to the potential he showed during his second season when he caught 56 balls for 639 yards and four touchdowns.
Njoku certainly has the athletic ability to be an impact player. He’s a physical specimen at 6-foot-4, 246 pounds with 4.6 40-yard dash speed. But last year was a trying one for the Miami prospect, catching just five balls for 41 yards and one touchdown, missing a chunk of the season with a broken wrist.
David Njoku Fell Out of Favor With Coaching Staff
Maybe he’s seeking vengeance against the Browns franchise as a whole, feeling slighted after falling in the dog house of former head coach Freddie Kitchens, despite battling hard to return from his wrist injury. It was fairly clear that if Kitchens had returned after the Browns disappointing 6-10 season, Njoku would had been on his way out.
“I’m really doing everything I’m doing now for my teammates at this point,” Njoku said after being a healthy scratch for two of the final three games last season. “Obviously it’s been a rollercoaster and at this point in my life with where I’m at, I’m just doing everything for the guys that I play with.”
However, the Browns new regime has been complimentary of Njoku, with head coach Kevin Stefanski looking forward to integrating him into the offense.
“I’m looking forward to working with him,” Stefanski said of Njoku at the NFL Combine. “I think there’s an obvious skillset there. There’s a reason he was drafted that high. I think you can see it just in his physical ability and it’s a big year for David. I’ve explained that to him. He knows that and a lot of that is going to be up to him and the amount of work he puts into this and we have big plans for him but it’s about, for him, coming back in the building and working and then ultimately being able to see if we can utilize him in a role that can take advantage of some of his skillset.”
David Njoku’s Agent: ‘Best Interest’ to Find New Team
GettyCleveland Browns tight end David Njoku.
Njoku requested a trade last week, asking to be traded from Cleveland before training camp later this month. The Browns selected Njoku with 29th overall pick in the 2017 draft and recently executed his fifth-year option, keeping him under contract for at least two more seasons.
Njoku does not feel his future is in orange and brown, despite the team shifting to a more tight-end friendly offense. He would, however, have to play behind newly signed, big-money free agent Austin Hooper, while competing with rookie Harrison Bryant for playing time.
“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.”
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.
Rosenhaus told Schefter: “It is in David’s best interest to find a new team at this time.”
Njoku signed with Rosenhaus shortly before the trade request was made public, ditching his former agent Malki Kawa.
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