[jwplayer fbbypsUl-ThvAeFxT]
The Cincinnati Bengals don’t need a tight end like David Njoku of the Cleveland Browns.
Such a discussion is bound to pop up because reports surfaced Friday that Njoku has requested a trade from the Browns.
ESPN’s Jeremey Fowler added the following: “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.”
A mid-round pick for a former first-round tight end playing out one more rookie deal year before his fifth-year option doesn’t sound so bad, right?
Not in Cincinnati.
At this point, tight end is quietly one of the more promising spots on the depth chart for the Bengals. While he flopped last year after the Bengals were panned for taking him, the Bengals still have a second-round investment in Drew Sample. Starter C.J. Uzomah is still a capable player the coaches like.
Behind those two, Cincinnati has Cethan Carter and Mason Schreck. They’ve had trade calls about the latter in the past, which speaks to the quality of the depth, if nothing else.
Njoku, the 29th pick in 2017, sounds good. He’s 23 and on a cheap contract. But the reality is he played in four games last season and has cracked above the 500-yard mark once over three seasons. Even in 2018 with his 639 yards and four scores, he caught just 56 of 88 targets with a drop percentage of 6.8.
Logistics say a trade isn’t a match either. A fourth or fifth isn’t the worst possible thing to give up, but there’s bound to be an AFC North tax. Zac Taylor’s offense isn’t one that leans heavily into tight ends as weapons anyway.
Add in the unknowns about this summer when it comes to training camp and the preseason for good measure and this brief, interesting idea falls flat on its face.
[vertical-gallery id=35474]