Ahead of next week’s NFL trade deadline, the Cleveland Browns are going to be an interesting team to keep an eye on. Quite a few players have been mentioned as potential trade candidates, with one of them being tight end David Njoku.
Njoku has been an important piece of the Browns’ offense for years. However, with rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. on the roster, he has become expendable.
Cleveland will have some tough decisions to make. Once again, the Browns are nowhere close to being a playoff caliber football team. They are headed for yet another high draft pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
As the trade deadline comes up quickly, a new update has been shared about Njoku.
According to Cleveland insider Zac Jackson of The Athletic, the Browns are likely not going to receive more than a fifth-round pick in exchange for Njoku. Obviously, that is not an ideal return for such a key piece of the offense.
"It's hard to imagine Njoku bringing back more than a fifth- or sixth-rounder, though any potential deal might follow the model of last year's Smith trade and the early October Browns-Bengals Joe Flacco deal in which the teams swapped draft picks on each side," Jackson wrote. “"On Monday, the Browns claimed tight end Brenden Bates off waivers and signed tight end Caden Prieskorn to the practice squad.”
While the team has made two moves at the tight end position, Jackson made it clear that the moves do not necessarily signal Njoku’s departure.
"Those moves don't necessarily mean the Browns are preparing for a post-Njoku existence, but they do raise an eyebrow. In an Njoku trade, the acquiring team would only take on the prorated amount of his $1.26 million base salary for 2025. Njoku, 29, is eligible for free agency after the season but is due to count about $24 million on next year's salary cap from the Browns using an up-front cash payment to stretch out his deal in 2023."
So far this season with Cleveland, Njoku has played in seven games. He has caught 27 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns. Last season in 11 games, he racked up 64 receptions for 505 yards and five scores.
At 29 years old, Njoku will be an intriguing target for any team searching for a tight end update. He’s a big body at 6-foot-4 and nearly 250 pounds, with extreme athleticism for his position.
Expect to continue hearing rumors about Njoku in the coming days. It would not be shocking if the Browns end up moving him before the deadline.
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