In this series leading up to Browns training camp, we’ve identified 15 keys to them making a run at the Super Bowl this season, whether it be a player, a coach, or an issue such as all the amazing quarterbacks they’ll face this season.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Let’s throw out a hypothetical to start the next key in our series: If David Njoku had finished last season with 119 catches, 1,585 yards and 17 touchdowns, how would we have spent this offseason talking about him?
Why throw out those specific numbers? Because if you project what Njoku did over his last four regular season games in 2023 to 17 games, those are the stats he would have put up. Njoku, in Weeks 14 through 17, caught 28 passes for 373 yards and four touchdowns. Even more importantly, Njoku dropped just one pass during that span, according to Pro Football Focus, a drop percentage of 4.3%, better than the likes of George Kittle and Travis Kelce.
Njoku has always been talented, always looked the part and has always felt right on the cusp of breaking into the top tier of tight ends. We caught a glimpse of what that looks like at the end of the 2023 season.
Why Njoku made the list
The Browns have long been all-in on Njoku, even going back to when Kevin Stefanski first arrived and the two, at times, butted heads. The organization never wavered after Njoku requested trades twice in less than six months in 2020 and, after using the franchise tag on him in 2022, signed him to a lucrative four-year extension.
Njoku has done his part to repay that faith, becoming a reliable blocker and continuing to work on his hands.
This season, the tight end room is all about Njoku. The Browns currently have four tight ends on their 90-man roster — five if you count Giovanni Ricci, who is listed as a fullback — and only Njoku and veteran Jordan Akins seem sure things to make the roster.
Njoku will be a large part of the passing game and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he again ends the season as the second-most targeted player behind Amari Cooper.
Key Njoku Fact
Njoku set career highs in all the major receiving categories last season: receptions (81), yards (882) and touchdowns (6).
Key Njoku Quote
“Be better than who I was yesterday at the end of day. I mean, yeah, that was all exciting. That was last year. It’s behind us. So our focus is on this year.” - Njoku, during mandatory minicamp, on what he has planned for an encore this season.
Njoku’s keys to being a key
It’s worth noting Njoku’s most successful stretch of his career came with Joe Flacco at quarterback. He seemed to thrive in an environment where the ball was arriving on time and in rhythm on a regular basis.
It’s back to Deshaun Watson now and it’s a different experience as a pass catcher with Watson. In 10 full games with Watson — Njoku missed Watson’s first game back in Houston in 2022 and wasn’t targeted by Watson before he left the Indianapolis game last season — Njoku has caught 37 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns, both below his season-long averages for the two seasons Watson has been on the roster. He has gone above 50 receiving yards just twice.
The easy explanation is the two simply haven’t had the time on task to develop their chemistry together, especially in moments when Watson is creating after a play breaks down. In Ken Dorsey’s offense, Njoku will have a chance to thrive by regularly making himself available to Watson in those spots, but he and Watson will need to make sure they are on the same page, making this training camp and all of those practice reps extra valuable.
What’s new for Njoku in 2024
He seems happy and has embraced being in Cleveland and being a member of the Browns. He’s come a long way from the 20-year-old the Browns drafted in 2017.
Njoku will be a focal point of this offense, even more than he’s been in the past, and with questions at the receiver position behind Cooper — and Cooper currently in a contract stalemate — the Browns need Njoku to build on what he did to finish last season.
What the Browns would do without Njoku
The tight end position and receiving group in general would take a big hit if Njoku weren’t part of it. Cooper is an elite target, but everyone else in the receiver room is unproven. Njoku can fill the void as a pass-catcher.
The tight end room is focused entirely on Njoku as the No. 1 tight end and would look very different without him.
