Will David Njoku end up in the NFC North?

The 2017 first-round pick asked the Browns for a trade last week.

Browns tight end David Njoku appears to be on the trade block after he requested a trade last week.

Njoku’s first three seasons in Cleveland have been up and down. The former first-round pick finished with 56 catches for 639 yards and four touchdowns in 2018. It appeared as if things were on the right track, but Njoku played in just four games last season after breaking his wrist.

If Njoku doesn’t continue his career in Cleveland and is indeed traded, where could he end up?

There’s a chance we could see him in the NFC North. Not with the Vikings, who have Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr. at tight end, but instead the Packers.

Green Bay ranked sixth among teams that could be a fit for Njoku per CBS Sports.

Njoku would add another target for Aaron Rodgers, something they didn’t do during the NFL Draft. Njoku would be an instant starter for a tight end group that includes Josiah Deguara, Evan Baylis, Mercedes Lewis, James Looney, Jace Sternerger and Robert Tonyan.

The Packers are certainly a team to watch as this story develops.

Why the Patriots should not trade for TE David Njoku

The Patriots should stick with their rookie tight ends, and allow them to develop.

Browns tight end David Njoku and his agent Drew Rosenhaus asked for a trade on Friday, and they want it  done before the start of training camp. With Austin Hooper now in the fold, Njoku is undoubtedly the odd man out. Although he may be an intriguing trade target, he would not make sense for what New England is trying to do.

This isn’t so much about his production. He is capable of putting together successful seasons when healthy. He dealt with a wrist injury that only allowed him to play in four games last year.

The 2018 season was his best to date. He recorded 56 receptions for 639 yards and four touchdowns. That year, he showed his playmaking ability and put himself on pace to be Cleveland’s tight end of the future.

As far as New England is concerned, they should rely on Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene for production next year. Yes, they are rookies who will need to learn the ropes of the National Football League. However, this is a rebuilding year of sorts.

At first glance, the addition of Cam Newton may suggest otherwise. Despite having a veteran quarterback, the Patriots have rookies they need to develop for the future. With the minimal production they had at tight end last season, this would be the perfect opportunity to begin to develop the rookies. Thus would allow them to get comfortable enough in the offense to consistently produce down the road.

Rob Gronkowski would be a good example of long-term playing time paying off. From 2010-2018, the Patriots developed one of the best tight ends in league history. He ended up recording 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns in his New England career. He was their go-to target for many seasons, and reinvented the tight end position.

Am I saying that the rookies will develop into a Gronkowski-type of player? No, placing those expectations on them would be difficult to ask. However, he does illustrate that New England was able to develop a tight end to fit the offense.

While we are here, a nod to Ben Watson is appropriate as well. He managed to carve out a long-term career for himself, playing seven years of his 15-year career with New England. Watson thrived in the New England offense and recorded 2,275 yards and 20 touchdowns in 81 games with the Patriots.

While Njoku would be a good fit all things considered, it would hamper the development of the rookies and in turn set them back for the future. Not giving Keene and Asiasi the chance to start in 2020 could hamper their growth.

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TE David Njoku is looking for a new team; Should Washington make an offer?

Cleveland Browns TE David Njoku is looking for a trade, and Washington might be a great fit, should they be looking for the help.

It’s not the first time that his name has come up in a potential trade scenario with Washington, but David Njoku is being mentioned in some circles once again.

The Cleveland Browns tight end announced on Friday that he wishes to be traded to a new team in order to get a new start in the NFL, hoping to go somewhere that he can be better utilized.

One of those such places is Washington, where the team is in desperate need of a viable tight end for Dwayne Haskins to throw to. Washington currently has six tight ends on the roster — Logan Thomas, Richard Rodgers, Thaddeus Moss, Hale Hentges, Jeremy Sprinkle, Caleb Wilson —but there isn’t extreme confidence that any one of them can bring the production that the team needs in 2020. Could Njoku be the player to fix that?

Yes, but that doesn’t mean that Ron Rivera and the team are likely to do anything about it. Rivera has already stated this year that the 2020 season is meant to be one of growth for the team likely to be formerly known as the Redskins. With so many young players on the roster, there is a general feeling that wins aren’t going to come easy this upcoming season, and it could be another long season, though it will be more productive and positive than in years past. Playmakers will develop, and potential difference makers will likely pop up throughout the depth chart. There’s a chance that Washington has some of those difference makers at the TE position — possibly in Moss, or Rodgers, or Thomas —but they won’t be able to find them if Njoku is brought in to be the No. 1 guy.

Because of this, don’t expect Washington to make a move for the pass-catcher in Cleveland. He could definitely help, but I don’t know that Washington is searching for that help at the time being.

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Should the Colts explore a trade for TE David Njoku?

The athletic TE is available for trade.

The Indianapolis Colts are always saying how they are on the lookout for potentially adding players who make the team better and an interesting option just hit the trade market in the form of tight end David Njoku.

The former first-round pick from the 2017 NFL Draft officially asked for a trade out of Cleveland, likely due to the fact that the new regime brought in Austin Hooper to be the TE1.

It poses the question, should the Colts explore a potential trade for Njoku?

The Need

Tight end is an interesting position for the Colts. They have their starter in the room in ol’ reliable Jack Doyle. He signed a three-year extension during the 2019 season and will be leading the room again. But beyond Doyle, who turned 30 in May, there are some question marks in the room.

The Colts don’t have much in terms of future pieces at tight end. Doyle is stable but entering what is likely the final years of his career. Trey Burton is likely a short-term signing and they don’t yet know what they have in Mo Alie-Cox.

There is plenty of promise with the players the Colts have now, but it would be naive to say there is much of a future. With Njoku, he’s at least young enough (24) to still develop into a starter.

The Player

Njoku was a highly-touted tight end coming out of Miami in 2017. He was a first-round pick with the Browns in that draft with his freakish athleticism paving the way to his high draft capital.

Njoku’s production has been up and down since he entered the league. He had a promising sophomore campaign in 2018 when he recorded 56 receptions for 639 yards and four touchdowns but battled injuries during the 2019 season.

Has shown he can be a productive tight end in the NFL, and his athleticism could be enough to intrigue the Colts.

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The Colts always harp on athleticism as it can further the development of a player and given Frank Reich’s affinity for tight ends, this would be an intriguing addition.

The Price

Typically, when a former first-round pick gets dealt, the price is high for the team paying to get the player. That might not be the case with Njoku. While he has flashed that potential to be a impact player at tight end, his injuries kept him from doing so.

Our friends over at Browns Wire believe the team shouldn’t expect to get anything more than a fifth-round pick for the Miami product. That should be right in the wheelhouse for Chris Ballard even if he doesn’t typically like trading picks for players.

A fifth-round pick for the potential future of the tight end room is something that would require heavy consideration.

Bottom Line

Even though Njoku requested the trade, the Browns have no obligation to actually deal him. He’s still under contract for two more seasons after they picked up his fifth-year option. But if the Browns are looking for suitors, the Colts should consider it if the price is in the range of a Day 3 pick.

Bengals trading for Browns’ David Njoku wouldn’t make a ton of sense

Should the Cincinnati Bengals have any interest in Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku?

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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.

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Should Dolphins explore possible trade for TE David Njoku?

Should Dolphins explore possible trade for TE David Njoku?

The trade demands are suddenly coming in hot and heavy this summer. The big splash of June was hearing that Jets safety Jamal Adams had demanded a trade from the team — and now with the calendar flipped to July there is another big trade demand out in the public. Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku is the latest NFL athlete to voice his desire to play for someone else in 2020.

Njoku, whose trade request was reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter yesterday, recently changed agents to be represented by super-agent Drew Rosenhaus — the same agent who helped former Browns RB Duke Johnson manufacture a trade out of Cleveland after a long dispute on his usage.

Njoku is a former No. 1 draft selection who has shown promise when healthy, but was forced to miss 12 games last season amid a concussion and a wrist injury that forced him onto injured reserve for the majority of the year. The 2018 season serves as the best barometer for Njoku’s talents — he logged 56 catches for 639 yards and four touchdowns.

A former Miami Hurricane, Njoku knows South Florida well. So, with that in mind, should the Dolphins be calling to inquire about a price?

The tight end position isn’t one that has traditionally thrived in offensive coordinator Chan Gailey’s offenses, but remember this: Gailey spent the last several years in retirement — there’s very little feel on whether Gailey is a long-term answer for play calling duties for a short-term bridge to another as the team further identifies their offensive identity. Yes, the Dolphins are already in possession of tight end Mike Gesicki, but the Dolphins are also in need of more dynamic plays after the catch and Njoku could compliment Gesicki’s vertical component as a seam threat by being the underneath target if Miami wanted to adopt a hybrid offense that features two “flex” tight ends on the field at the same time.

In 2018, Njoku’s last healthy season, he averaged 6.0 yards after the catch per reception. That’s nearly 50% better than what any Miami Dolphins pass catcher was able to produce in 2019. This offense would undoubtedly have a place for Njoku, who is an athletic freak with the burst and quickness of a much smaller receiver.

Coming out of the 2017 NFL Combine, Njoku logged 80th percentile or better among tight ends in the following tests:

  • 40 yard dash 
  • Vertical jump
  • Broad jump
  • 3-cone drill

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And at 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, Njoku’s presence would give Miami’s offense killer size in the passing game. The 6-foot-4 Njoku would only be the third tallest target behind Gesicki and WR Preston Williams. If the Dolphins truly want to adopt a power presence in their spread offense, it is hard to envision a bigger skill group across the league than what Miami could offer with Njoku, Gesicki, Parker and Williams spacing the field and creating thin boxes for Jordan Howard and the run game.

There’s a good case to make for pursuing a trade, but what will the tight end cost? Because that would ultimately make or break any proposition of adding Njoku to the mix. Miami has multiple picks in each of the first two rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft — but those should be considered untouchable. But if the Dolphins find Njoku is available for a middle-round pick, the team would easily be able to replace that asset with a trade back from one of their premiere picks. The Browns aren’t likely to move him from that low of a cost, however.

Should you expect the Dolphins to get involved or inquire about Njoku’s availability? Probably not. But there’s nothing stopping us from daydreaming about what it could possibly look like if Njoku returned to South Florida.

What could the Browns get in return if they trade David Njoku?

A look at what the Cleveland Browns might expect in return for trading TE David Njoku

David Njoku wants to be traded. The Browns tight end has requested a trade via his new agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

The Browns are under no obligation to deal Njoku, who has two years left on his rookie contract. Cleveland picked up the fifth-year option on his contract earlier this offseason, and he’s being counted upon to be a productive part of new head coach Kevin Stefanski’s two-TE offense. Every indication is the team values Njoku’s ability to rebound from an injury-marred 2019 where he caught just five passes for 41 yards in four games.

But what could they get in return for Njoku?

The pie in the sky is what the Jaguars got in return for 2016 first-rounder Jalen Ramsey. The Rams sent Jacksonville first-round picks in 2020 and 2021 and a 4th-rounder in 2021 for the All-Pro defensive back. Alas, that’s a completely unrealistic pie.

For starters, Ramsey was an established star, one of the top young defenders in the NFL. Njoku in three seasons (36 career games) has produced what is an average year for Eagles TE Travis Kelce: 93 receptions, 1,066 yards, nine TDs. There is no comparison between the two other than wanting off the respective teams that drafted them in the first rounds.

Thinking the Browns would get anything close to that in return is delusional. A more realistic haul is what the Rams got in return for the player they shipped out to make room for Ramsey, CB Marcus Peters.

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The Ravens sent a 2020 5th-round draft pick and backup LB Kenny Young, a 4th-round pick in 2018 who played sparingly in Los Angeles after the trade, to get Peters. An enigmatic former first-rounder (2015, 18th overall), Peters’ prickly personality got him run out of Kansas City despite making the Pro Bowl in his first two seasons.

Peters thrived in Baltimore after the trade and earned All-Pro honors, notching two pick-6s in 10 games with the Ravens and leading the NFL in INT return yards.

Njoku has periodically flashed the potential to be an impact receiving talent at tight end, but he’s never put it all together with any consistency. Any team trading for him would be hoping for a Peters-like rise, but that’s not a given with Njoku.

Now consider why Njoku wants to be traded. He hired new agent Drew Rosenhaus to help him maximize his earning potential with the lucrative second contract. The Browns just invested the biggest free agent contract ever given to a tight end to Austin Hooper, so that well looks dry in Cleveland. The desire for a big payday for a relatively unproven player is a headache many teams simply won’t want.

That’s why I think the most realistic return is what the Seahawks got in return from the Steelers for a quick rental of tight end Nick Vannett last year. Desperate for healthy bodies, the Steelers dealt a 5th-round pick to Seattle for Vannett. He wound up catching 13 passes in 13 games for Pittsburgh, scoring four TDs.

Njoku could, and probably should, be significantly more productive than Vannett as a receiver. That’s why there will be a market. Just don’t expect it to be much more than a future 5th-round pick…if he’s even dealt at all in 2020.

David Njoku could be the answer to the Steelers TE problems

Should the Steelers explore a trade for David Njoku?

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Sometimes the best thing for a struggling player is a fresh start. This seems to be the attitude Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku is taking. ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter is reporting Njoku’s agent Drew Rosenhaus has asked the team to trade him before the start of NFL training camps.

This could be just the thing the Pittsburgh Steelers need to finalize their offense for the upcoming season. It’s doubtful the Browns would want more than a fourth-round pick for Njoku, which considering his potential is a bargain. Plus, the addition of Njoku would allow the Steelers to dump one of their worst contracts on the roster. That would be Vance McDonald.

After being the Browns first-round pick in 2017, Njoku really started to show his skill in 2018 when he hauled in 56 receptions. But a wrist injury in 2019 paired with a bad decision by Njoku about his recovery cost him 12 games.

But Njoku would be ideal to pair with Eric Ebron. Ebron could mentor the young talent, Njoku is still playing on a rookie contract with no promises of a fifth-year option and releasing McDonald gets a bit of cap relief this season and spares them from a huge payday in 2021.

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Does David Njoku trade make sense for 49ers?

The 49ers should try and trade for Browns tight end David Njoku after he requested a trade.

One of the weaknesses on the 49ers’ roster is their depth at tight end. While George Kittle is the league’s best player at the position, the roster behind him leaves something to be desired. While their returning their backup tight end, and drafted one in the sixth round, they don’t appear to have a legitimate pass-catching threat to pair with Kittle. That answer may have come Friday when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Browns fourth-year tight end David Njoku requested a trade.

Njoku was a first-round pick out of the University of Miami in the 2017 draft. Despite just one year of big-time pass-catching production in college, his athleticism on tape jumped off the screen and his combine workouts corroborated what the tape showed. He was in the 80th percentile or better in the 40-yard dash, broad jump, vertical jump and 3-cone drill. Njoku displayed that athleticism inside a 6-4, 253-pound frame.

His athleticism alone puts him above the players San Francisco has behind Kittle. Ross Dwelley, a former undrafted free agent, is a versatile blocker, but doesn’t offer a lot as a receiver. He’s averaged just 6.2 yards per reception in his first two seasons. Sixth-round pick Charlie Woerner caught only 34 passes in four years at Georgia. Undrafted second-year player Daniel Helm hasn’t played an NFL snap yet. Njoku offers an explosive athletic element that the 49ers’ tight end group currently lacks.

He’s yet to translate that athletic talent into success in the NFL, however. He caught 88 balls for 1,025 yards and eight touchdowns his first two years, and graded out as an average run blocker through his first two seasons per Pro Football Focus. His third season was limited to just four games by a broken wrist.

Njoku is a good enough athlete to fill a variety of roles in an offense as creative as Kyle Shanahan’s. While there’d be some blocking responsibilities, and he’d need to improve some in that area, there would be an added wrinkle for defenses to worry about when San Francisco is in multiple tight-end sets.

They deployed personnel groupings with multiple tight ends on 32.1 percent of their snaps last season according to Sharp Football Stats. Their passing success from those groupings was mixed — although quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had one touchdown and three interceptions out of 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) — their most frequently used multiple tight end package.

Adding a pass catcher like Njoku makes the 49ers more difficult to defend, and he has the athleticism to take advantage of the space generated by Shanahan’s scheme in a way none of their current reserves can.

Price is a significant issue for San Francisco in any move they’re going to execute over the next couple offseasons. Njoku is still on his rookie deal and has two seasons left, including his fifth-year option. He carries a manageable $3,030,791 cap hit in 2020 per Over the Cap, and $6,013,000 next season, although it wouldn’t be expensive to cut ties with him should his career not take off in the Bay Area.

Compensation is another factor at play. The 49ers are probably out of the running if there’s a robust market for Njoku. For a variety of reasons they’ll need a healthy stock of draft picks in next year’s draft and they already unloaded a third-round choice in the trade to acquire left tackle Trent Williams. If Njoku is available for a fifth or sixth-round choice, the move becomes more feasible.

San Francisco made clear their desire to add another pass-catching threat at tight end when they pursued Austin Hooper in free agency. He was the best available player on the market and wound up signing with Cleveland as the highest-paid tight end in the league. Their limited number of draft picks forced them to wait until Round 6 to select a tight end in the draft, and even then Woerner was mostly a blocking specialist in college.

Even if the 49ers don’t ink Njoku to a long-term extension, the short-term gain would elevate their offense to a level it can’t reach with their current group of tight ends. If Njoku can be had for a late-round pick, San Francisco should make a call and add a cost-controlled player that can immediately make their offense more dangerous.

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David Njoku asks the Browns to trade him

Tight end David Njoku asks the Browns to trade him via his agent, Drew Rosenhaus

Browns tight end David Njoku is ready to leave the Cleveland Browns. Via his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, Njoku has asked the Browns to trade him away.

Adam Schefter of ESPN first reported the trade demand, which comes at the onset of the holiday weekend.

Earlier this offseason the new Browns regime of GM Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski picked up the 5th-year option on Njoku’s contract. He was one of the team’s three 1st-round selections in the 2017 NFL Draft. Stefanski’s offense makes liberal use of multiple tight ends, and Njoku is expected to be a big part of the offense along with prized free agent TE, Austin Hooper.

Schefter’s report indicates the team does intend on keeping him.

In three seasons, Njoku has 93 receptions for 1,066 yards and nine TDs. He missed 12 games in 2019 with a broken wrist and a concussion, suffered on the same play.