The Cleveland Browns don’t have many playmakers on their roster right now, at least on offense.
The wide receiver corps is pretty much a question mark, and while the running game should fare much better with two promising rookies, they clearly need someone to step up in the pass-catching department.
With that in mind, Moe Moton of Bleacher Report believes that rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. could and should be primed for a big role right out of the gate.
Conversely, that means that the Browns should look to get a deal done with David Njoku sooner rather than later, so he can take some heat off the rookie:
“The Browns selected tight end Harold Fannin Jr. in the third round of this year’s draft. Cleveland can employ the 6’4″, 241-pounder like an oversized wide receiver. Meanwhile, Njoku should continue to be the lead traditional tight end in the offense. In 2024, he missed five games because of injury, but he still finished second on the team in catches (64) and led the club in touchdown receptions (five). Still in his prime at 28, he could get a short-term extension before the 2025 season,” Moton wrote.
Njoku and the Browns have been in talks for a contract extension dating back to the end of last season, but to no avail.
There have been little to no updates, although that doesn’t necessarily mean that both parties are far away in talks or that a deal isn’t imminent.
Njoku is entering the final year of his contract, and the Browns would be wise to sign him to a new deal soon.
Otherwise, they could and should look for trade partners.
Njoku has been one of the team’s most reliable offensive players, and he’s still got some years left in the tank.
The Browns might have already landed his replacement, but they will need to keep Njoku around for another couple of years to be sure and to help him with his development.
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