There’s still some prominent names out on the free agent and trade markets in the NFL that the Buffalo Bills could consider. Most of them such as Jadeveon Clowney or Jamal Adams seemed very unlikely and not close the the Bills’ radar. Until now.
Over the weekend, Browns tight end David Njoku tossed his name into the “available targets” ring in the NFL. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Njoku requested a trade from the Browns. Could the Bills be a suitor? There’s multiple layers to consider.
The No. 1 name that comes to mind during such a discussion is your incumbent. That guy for the Bills was tight end Dawson Knox. As a rookie in 2019, Knox’s up-and-down season is widely noted. He looked good on his 28 catches for 388 yards and two touchdowns but those 10 recorded dropped passes which led the league for tight ends… wasn’t very pretty.
Could the Bills fit both Njoku and Knox? In some senses, yes. In others, probably not.
First off would be the finances in this situation. Njoku has two seasons left on his rookie deal. As a former first-round pick, he had a fifth-year option on his contract which the Browns already flexed. In 2020, his cap hit would be just north of $3 million. In 2021, that just about doubles at near $6 million. According to Spotrac, the Bills do have room to fit that contract with $31.5 million in cap space. A decent chunk, but still only the 26th most in the league.
Cutting that down to around $26 million, the Bills would still need to fit in future contract extensions. Namely linebacker Matt Milano and offensive lineman Dion Dawkins. Those contracts are two Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane would certainly like to hand out sooner rather than later.
How costly are they? Well, that $6 million could help, but maybe all three in 2021 are do-able? Also factoring in would be trade compensation, naturally. Njoku has flashed early in his career, but did suffer a broken wrist last season, holding him to only four games. In 2018, the 23-year-old did have a solid year for the Browns with 56 catches for 639 yards and four touchdowns. He has potential dynamic-playmaking talent.
But the two big reasons against Njoku that really override a lot here.
First, bringing in Njoku would have to stunt Knox’s growth in his second season. And even if the Bills planned to still get Knox his targets with Njoku on the roster, that’s likely something Njoku would be against. The reasoning for Njoku likely wanting to leave the Browns is their additions at the position this offseason, namely Austin Hooper. The Browns gave Hooper the largest tight end contract ever. Njoku appears to be having none of that partnership. Not exactly some signs of a team player, either.
In addition to Njoku unlikely to want to lose targets to Knox, let’s consider the Bills offense. According to Sharp Football, the Bills used a ton of 11 personnel after offensive coordinator Brian Daboll moved from the sideline to the coaches booth. In that time frame, Buffalo used 11 personnel on 81 percent of packages which led the NFL. For novices, 11 personnel means only one tight end on the field, not two, AKA, not Njoku and Knox together.
Also factoring into this lack of looks for Njoku with the Bills has to be the wide receivers. Buffalo has a solid 1-2-3 unit with Stefon Diggs, John Brown and Cole Beasley.
Even if the compensation is low and the finances are there, it might not make enough sense for the Bills to pull off such a move. Browns Wire estimates potentially a fifth-round pick for Njoku, so essentially nothing. But it’s not looking like there’s a world where Njoku and the Bills makes much sense.
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