CLEVELAND, Ohio – Did not do enough to demand that they trade him.
That was my first thought when I heard that David Njoku’s new agent asked the Browns to trade the tight end and do so before training camp.
Do you know how many passes Njoku caught last season? Five. Let’s be fair. He fractured his wrist and was out for 10 games. But he was healthy at the end of the season and it was a healthy scratch for two of the last three games. He played in four games, caught five passes. He also had two drops.
The 6-foot-4-inch, 246-pound Njoku collided with former coach Freddie Kitchens. His ethics and work attitude were questioned by the previous regime.
But the new head office and coaching staff like it.
BERRY’S VOTE OF CONFIDENCE
General manager Andrew Berry collected the Njoku option of $ 6.1 million by 2021; he is already under contract for $ 1.8 million.
OK, the $ 6.1 million option is guaranteed for “injuries only” in 2021. But only 18 of the 32 players recruited in 2017 and eligible for that fifth-year option were chosen by their teams.
Njoku obviously didn’t like that Browns free-agent tight end Austin Hooper struck a $ 42 million deal. But new coach Kevin Stefanski used at least two tight ends 57 percent of the time when he called plays in Minnesota last season. According to ESPN, that was the highest rate of multiple tight end sets in the NFL in 2019.
Stefanski has said he has formations that include Three tight ends! Njoku is with a coach who is close to being obsessed With the post I put those words in italics because it’s important.
A healthy Njoku in the right frame of mind is on an offense where he could have a great season.
Njoku has to realize that Berry was part of the 2017 Sashi Brown head office who switched to the first round to grab him with the 29th pick.
Berry was a top talent evaluator for that office and is interested in Njoku playing well. It’s part of the reason option 2021 was chosen. Berry believes the 24-year-old can play, period.
In fact, the Browns tell teams they are not eager to deal with Njoku, regardless of what their agent says.
WHAT IS THE DEAL?
The Browns recruited tight end Harrison Bryant in the fourth round. But if Njoku is worried about losing playing time to a fourth round rookie, there is something wrong with his competitive spirit.
My guess is that immaturity is at work.
You do not have a realistic view of your situation. Neglect the fact that it is a weak blocker. His hands are suspicious. He has a lot of physical talent, but he doesn’t realize how frustrating it can be for a coach due to his lack of consistency.
He hired as his new agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who was the agent who asked the Browns to change Duke Johnson last year.
That made sense. Future professional bowler Nick Chubb was starting to run. The Browns had signed Pro Bowler Kareem Hunt, who was to be eligible to play in the last eight games of 2019. The Browns were full of running backs. Johnson was traded to Houston for a third round.
But that’s not the case with tight ends for Njoku in 2020.
In 2018, Njoku caught 56 passes. He still dropped eight passes and had the highest drop rate of any tight end in 2018 according to Profootballfocus.
In contrast, Hooper has caught 146 passes compared to just four falls.
Remember the new motto for Berry / Stefanski: Players who are “tough, smart, responsible.” You can also add this: “Boys who want to be here.”
If I’m from the Browns and Njoku’s desire to leave negatively affects his attitude, it should be changed.
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