Cleveland Browns: Stop Trying To Write Off David Njoku
The immediate reaction to the signing of Austin Hooper in free agency wasn't really talking about Hooper. Rather, it was people rushing to the conclusion that the Cleveland Browns must be trading David Njoku as if both couldn't be on the field at once. In the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Browns drafted a tight end in Harrison Bryant out of Florida Atlantic and the immediate reaction was asking what this means for David Njoku. The Browns, at least the people in charge now, really want Njoku to succeed and succeed at a high enough level where they are excited to sign him to a second contract, whether or not they pick up his option in the next month.
Not only does head coach Kevin Stefanski love the tight end position and wants to be able to run multiple tight end sets, likely considering two of them starting positions on his offense as illustrated by the offense he ran with the Minnesota Vikings, but tight ends take time to develop. There's a significant incubation period for tight ends, developing enough physically to dominate the position as well as learning everything they need to know to excel.
A position that is asked to block defensive ends as well as run routes and catch passes from any number of spots on the field is a massive offensive advantage because the players who are great at it put so much pressure on a defense. As a result that position is valuable and the best teams in the league all seem to have great ones. It's also an underpaid position in terms of the salary cap.
The best tight ends in the league don't tend to be the best until they get to be around age 24 or 25. Travis Kelce was injured his rookie season and missed the year, then took off in his second season at 25 years old. George Kittle had a really nice rookie season relative to expectations, catching 43 passes for 515 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His second season at 25, he went off for 1,377 yards receiving. Zach Ertz had a nice second season at age 24 but became bigger and more impactful at 25. Part of the reason the Browns wanted Hooper is because he had completed his with the Atlanta Falcons and the Browns are betting he's primed to enter the best years of his career.
One exception to this is Rob Gronkowski. The future Hall of Fame inductee was outstanding at age 22 in the NFL after coming in as a 21-year old rookie off of back surgery, having one of the great tight end seasons of all time, catching 90 passes for passes for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns.
So while the Browns undoubtedly will try to find ways to utilize Harrison Bryant, who turned 22 on April 23rd, he's a member of the Browns first as depth. Multiple tight end sets are important to the Browns offense. They don't just abandon that if Hooper or Njoku get hurt. Bryant needs to get a little stronger to be a more functional inline player, but the jump from the college to the NFL is massive at that position, even with his incredible production this past season at Florida Atlantic.
In his press conference after the draft, general manager Andrew Berry said he expects Njoku to be a big part of the team's future, which might hint he intends to pick up Njoku's fifth-year option. Yes, Berry was here and helped draft Njoku, who was 20 at the time. He turns 24 in July. His third season in the league was incredibly frustrating with the injury and the bizarre issues between he and the team, particularly head coach Freddie Kitchens. And it's likely he warrants some blame there, but it doesn't change how talented and athletic he is at that size.
Stefanski when asked about Njoku a few months ago said he is really excited about his potential and ability. He made it clear that Njoku has to do his part in helping himself be great, sending the message that he has almost certainly said directly to the young tight end. They believe he can be a great player, but he has to do everything in his part to make that happen, so the Browns can do all they can to maximize him. Having an adult head coach is likely going to be a benefit.
Njoku has to do his part, but the Browns want him to be great for them, ideally signing an extension. Because tight ends are so much cheaper than wide receivers (Austin Hooper, the highest paid tight end in the league at least for the moment is making about 35 percent less than Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry), it works in their favor to get two of them under contract for the primes of their respective careers. The fifth-year option is pretty reasonable, but if Njoku becomes an excellent tight end and signing him to an extension is around the same rate as Hooper, it's a deal worth pursuing.
Hooper turns 26 in November while Njoku will be 24 in July. If they can be great players and the Browns can have both under contract for the next several years, it gives them a big advantage offensively. If Njoku is unable to realize his massive potential and Bryant can develop and grow into that second tight end position, they're still in great shape. Nothing about this dynamic is dooming Njoku to fail anymore than drafting a wide receiver earlier in the draft would immediately mean the Browns are moving on from Beckham or Landry. It's about adding talent that fits in their offense and allows them to put the best of them on the field, which could include three tight ends and a fullback on the field at the same time.
