The Cleveland Browns picked up a dominant 31-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season. However, it doesn't change the fact that Kevin Stefanski's group has been awful this year.
Through seven games, Cleveland has a 2-5 record and has yet to win a game on the road. The franchise is on pace to endure its fourth losing campaign in the last five years, and it's clear a rebuild is needed.
To kickstart a rebuild, the Browns must move on from some of their aging veterans. CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones pinpoints the team's top trade candidate as tight end David Njoku.
"The Browns won their second game of the season and did it without injured TE David Njoku. Cleveland may get used to playing without him as teams will have interest in Njoku," Jones wrote.
Njoku is no longer Cleveland's bona fide No.1 tight end, as rookie Harold Fannin Jr. has taken a lot of snaps from the veteran. Fannin has tallied 290 yards on 32 receptions with one touchdown in 2025.
After missing the Browns' Week 7 matchup versus the Dolphins, it's clear that Njoku is no longer a vital piece to Cleveland's offense, mainly due to the rise of Fannin, who is younger and also under contract for multiple years on a cheap deal. Njoku is on the final season of a four-year, $54 million contract he signed with Cleveland during the 2022 offseason.
Trading away Njoku now makes a ton of sense, as the Browns will likely lose him in free agency anyway, so getting value for him at the deadline would be a savvy move. A contender could be willing to ship an early Day 3 or even a late Day 2 pick for the former Pro Bowl tight end who has always been a reliable security blanket and red zone threat.
Njoku has had a fantastic tenure with Cleveland, but it could be coming to an end soon. The 2017 first-round pick needs a fresh start elsewhere, and it's time for both sides to move on.
NFL trade rumors