Throughout the offseason, the Browns have made little movement to find another tight end to back up David Njoku.
Cleveland seems content with the trio of Jordan Akins, Zaire Mitchell-Paden, and rookie undrafted free agent Treyton Welch competing for the team’s No. 2 position on the tight end depth chart.
Neither Mitchell-Paden nor Welch has played a game in the NFL, leaving Akins as the most likely candidate to back Njoku again in 2024.
ClevelandBrowns.com writer Kelsey Russo also sees this scenario playing out as she answered this question in a recent “Browns Mailbag” article.
Initially, Russo noted that Njoku and Akins took the majority of reps during the mandatory minicamp, catching passes from starting quarterback Deshaun Watson during 7-on-7 drills and other offensive practice reps.
Russo later explained that Akins has a strong connection to Watson as the two played together on the Houston Texans for three seasons previously.
Akins had one of his best seasons with Watson manning the Texans’ offense, catching 37 passes for 403 yards and a score in 2020 during the duo’s final season together.
In 2023, Akins played in all 17 regular season games, catching 15 passes for 132 yards in his first season with the Browns.
At 32 years old, Akins remains a viable option behind Njoku for multiple years to come as tight ends often have longer career longevity in the NFL than other positions.
Russo’s conclusion to the question pointed to Akins being the backup for the Browns this season as she recognized Akins’ “opportunity in his second year … to increase his role among the tight ends.”
