David Njoku became a fan favorite by the end of the 2023 season. When the chips were down, Njoku was one of the Browns that stepped up week after week and while doing so, he became one of the league's best tight ends.
The 2023 campaign was the best of Njoku's career. He finished with career highs in catches with 81, yards with 882 and touchdowns with six. The exclamation point of the season was his six-catch, 134-yard outburst against the Jets in Week 17 on Thursday Night Football to punch Cleveland's ticket to the NFL Playoffs.
Njoku became a fan favorite for his performance, leadership and resiliency as he helped will the Browns to the postseason.
On Saturday, he made his first appearance on the practice field for the Browns, and his impact was felt immediately. A number of clips surfaced from him making plays in both the pass and run game.
Heading into 2024, the No. 1 thing for Njoku is building up his chemistry and connection with Deshaun Watson. A large majority of Njoku's success in 2023 came at the tail end of the season when he and Joe Flacco hit their stride.
Oh ya, we can get used to this..#Browns #DawgPound
pic.twitter.com/H1sx8XolKn— Browns Digest (@BrownsDigestFN) July 27, 2024
The inconsistency at the quarterback position played a massive role in Njoku's production in the front half of the season. His best game with Watson was his six-catch, 58-yard performance in Cleveland's crazy 33-31 comeback victory against Baltimore. Outside of that, he and Watson have struggled to get on the same page.
The 2024 season is the year that it all needs to click for Watson and Njoku, and Saturday was the first step in getting there.
