The 2020 season was filled with plenty of positives for the Cleveland Browns.
They made the playoffs and surprisingly upset the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round.
There were a handful of players that stepped up in order to make that happen.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield took a huge step forward and appears to be the franchise QB.
That being said, not everyone made positive strides last season.
There are a few players in Cleveland that could be in jeopardy of losing their jobs, assuming they don’t play well in 2021.
1. David Njoku
It has been a frustrating four seasons for tight end David Njoku in Cleveland.
The former first round pick has failed to live up to lofty expectations since being drafted in 2017.
He was average during his rookie campaign and showed promising signs during his second year as well.
In 2018, Njoku finished with 56 receptions, 639 yards, and four touchdowns through 16 games.
Since then, Njoku has 24 receptions, 254 yards, and three touchdowns through each of the last two seasons combined.
The injuries continue to pile up for Njoku, but the Browns remain faithful to their young tight end.
In fact, the Browns believe in Njoku enough that they accepted his fifth-year option for 2021.
The #Browns have exercised the 2021 fifth-year options on DE Myles Garrett and TE David Njoku, per @MaryKayCabot.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 27, 2020
It sounds like Njoku will be on the roster next season, but will have to battle for playing time.
Last offseason, the Browns signed tight end Austin Hooper to a massive extension.
Afterwards, they went out and selected Harrison Bryant in the fourth-round during the 2020 draft.
Hooper is obviously going to be the No. 1 option, but Bryant has arguably pushed himself into the second spot on the depth chart.
Njoku has not shown much signs of life since 2018, so the Browns appear to be ready to move on.
This is likely going to be Njoku’s last chance to impress the Browns otherwise they will probably move forward with Hooper and Bryant as the tight ends.
2. Greedy Williams
There was plenty of hype surrounding defensive back Greedy Williams when the Browns selected him in the second round during the 2019 draft.
He was expected to be a reliable No. 2 option alongside Denzel Ward in the secondary.
However, things have not gone as planned since Williams was drafted.
Williams recorded 47 tackles with two passes defended through 12 games during his rookie season.
It was an underwhelming rookie campaign by Williams, but he was also in a system coached by Freddie Kitchens.
Sadly, Williams was unable to play at all during the 2020 campaign due to a nerve issue in his shoulder.
The Browns do expect both Williams and safety Grant Delpit to be ready by the beginning of the 2021 season.
The Browns got zero snaps from 2019 2nd-round pick Greedy Williams and 2020 2nd-round pick Grant Delpit due to injury this past season. The duo could be a big boost to the Cleveland secondary in 2021.
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) February 9, 2021
Cleveland doesn’t exactly have time to wait and see if Williams can develop into the player they thought he would be during the draft.
This team is ready to compete and needs a reliable option to play alongside Ward in the secondary.
It wouldn’t be shocking to see the Browns bring in a veteran defensive back this offseason.
This team is unsure what exactly they can expect from Williams since he hasn’t played since 2019.
Williams needs to go out and prove himself otherwise he could quickly be lost in the shuffle.
Another mediocre campaign could push Williams into a rotational type of role going forward.
That would be a shame because there was so much potential for Williams when he was originally drafted.
As already mentioned, the Browns cannot wait forever to see if Williams develops, so he’ll need to quickly show he can make an impact in 2021.
NEXT: NFL Raises Salary Cap Figure To $180 Million For 2021 Season
