If GM Brian Gutekunst and the Green Bay Packers are interested in adding more help in the passing game, a talented young tight end is now on the trade block.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Friday that Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku, a first-round pick of the team in 2017, has officially requested a trade.
Njoku played in only four games after breaking his wrist last season, catching just five passes for 41 yards and a touchdown during a disappointing third year. The former Miami Hurricane caught 56 passes for 639 yards and four scores during a breakout second season in 2018, but now the Browns are moving forward with prized free agent Austin Hooper and fourth-round pick Harrison Bryant.
Maybe the Packers and Browns could swing another deal.
The Packers have talent but are unproven at tight end, where 2019 third-round pick Jace Sternberger is expected to take over for Jimmy Graham as the team’s top pass-catching target at the position. The group also features veteran run blocker Marcedes Lewis, third-year receiver-convert Robert Tonyan and third-round rookie Josiah Deguara, complicating the depth chart if the Packers actually wanted to add Njoku to the mix.
However, there’s little doubt Njoku would provide a jolt of pass-catching talent to the passing game. Still only 23, Njoku is a rare combination of size (6-4, 246), speed (4.64), explosiveness (40″ vertical, 11-1 broad jump) and quickness (6.97 three-cone). If he can stay healthy and his development as a player matches his physical tools, Njoku has the potential to be a difference-making player, especially as a receiver.
Aaron Rodgers hasn’t had a tight end with Njoku’s combination of athletic gifts since Jermichael Finley.
The Packers have been in search of an explosive playmaker on offense since at least last year’s trading deadline. A deal never happened, and the Packers largely ignored the passing game this offseason, swapping out Geronimo Allison for Devin Funchess and drafting Deguara in the third round. Njoku wouldn’t solve the bigger problem – a lack of proven talent at receiver – but he’d provide another athletic threat and possible mismatch player at tight end, a position coach Matt LaFleur likes to use to force the defense’s hand and provide disguise pre-snap.
Of course, there’s real risk here. Njoku is coming off a lost season, and his consistency issues – especially catching the ball – are troubling for a player of his talent. There’s clearly some untapped potential, but potential isn’t valuable until it’s actually realized, and many young talents fade away before realizing their full potential.
According to Pro Football Focus, Njoku ranks 30th in overall grade among tight ends since 2017, highlighting his room for improvement. The Packers might feel much more comfortable just going into 2020 banking on a big second-year leap from Sternberger.
Also, the Browns will likely want decent compensation for the former first-round pick.
Still, the Packers – a team that chased after Hooper in free agency and then missed out on many of the top receivers in the draft – should be interested, especially if the Browns get to a point where moving Njoku becomes a priority.
At the right price, Njoku could give the Packers offense help at a key position while providing quarterback Aaron Rodgers with one more explosive weapon – one resembling Finley, Green Bay’s last true threat at tight end – in the passing game. Dealing for Njoku would come with risks, but the idea is worth entertaining for a team like the Packers.