Browns’ David Njoku On Pace For Career Year

The Cleveland Browns tight end has had an up-and-down season, but David Njoku is trending toward his best professional season.

David "Chief" Njoku has been the heart and soul of a Browns' offense that has been trying to find its way all season. Despite all the injuries that they have sustained, one thing has remained steady and that has been the Chief.

It hasn't been easy for Njoku, who is in his seventh season. He experienced some misfortune of his own. He shared the story on his Instagram page that he literally burnt the skin off of his face and nearly went blind before the Browns played the Ravens in week four.

Surely he missed that game, right? Wrong.

Oct 1, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) runs with the ball after a catch as Baltimore Ravens safety Geno Stone (26) defends during the first quarter at Cleveland Browns Stadium / Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Njoku braced a ski mask and face covering and gritted his way to being the leading receiver in the Browns 28-3 loss to Baltimore. 

It wouldn't stop there for Njoku.

He caught his stride during the middle of the season and then in the past four weeks he caught a bad case of the drops which contributed to the Browns' 1-2 stretch against Pittsburgh, Denver and Los Angeles.

Njoku kept working and he was rewarded in a marquee matchup against Jacksonville. 

Njoku was Joe Flacco's favorite target and finished the game with 6 catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns. His two scores marked the first time that the tight end had a multi-touchdown game in his career.

Throughout this roller-coaster season, Njoku is on pace to shatter his career-highs in every category. As it sits today, he has a career-best in catches with 59, he is 39 yards away from notching a new career mark and his next touchdown will be his career-best. 

Not only is he going to set personal records, but he currently has the seventh-most receiving yards of any tight end in football and is two touchdowns away from leading all tight ends in the category.

Njoku has put together an incredible season and it is safe to say Cleveland would not be in the playoff race if not for him.