DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum David Njoku requests trade

I realize we do not HAVE to do anything while in control. But I hope that we will WANT to do something as a result to get something for him as opposed to just releasing him with no realized return. As we see more people deciding to sit out, his value may go up in our favor. I am comfortable keeping him and playing him. Up to him first.

I took that to mean he did. I suppose it could mean he was sitting at the house.

He was there. I saw a clip of him in the browns promo video as well.

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Nice to know Drew is on board. Color me relieved.

Win! Win! Win!

Link

Browns TE David Njoku no longer wants to be traded: ‘I’m all in Cleveland. Time to work’
Updated 4:55 PM; Today 4:01 PM
Cleveland Browns vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers preseason, August 23, 2019
Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku salutes fans after the game. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)cleveland.com

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By Mary Kay Cabot, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns tight end David Njoku gave his own trade request the big Chief Slam and now he wants to stay with the Browns, a league source told cleveland.com.

On Saturday afternoon, he tweeted, “I’m all in Cleveland. Time to work.‘'

Njoku’s new agent, Drew Rosenhaus, had asked the Browns to trade the 2017 first-round pick on July 3rd, saying it would be in the tight end’s “best interests to find a new team,” but Njoku has had a change of heart, the source said.


Later, Rosenhaus said in an email response that Njoku “has had some good meetings with the new Browns organization including GM Andrew Berry, and he has decided to give the team his full commitment right now and go from there.”

He’s come into camp with a great attitude and in great shape after working hard all offseason, including attending Camp Mayfield in Austin, Tex. in May. He’s happy to be back with his teammates, and feels wanted by the Browns. What’s more, he believes that coach Kevin Stefanski really is eager to work with him, as Stefanski said on a Zoom call Thursday.


“My stance hasn’t changed,’' Stefanski said. “The organization’s stance hasn’t changed in that we believe in David, excited to work with him. I will get to finally be in the same room as him this weekend as he is coming in for physicals and then get out on the field with him Monday.’'


The Browns made it clear from the moment Rosenhaus said it would be in Njoku’s “best interests to find a new team” that they had no plans of trading Njoku, and wanted him to play a key role in the two-tight end heavy scheme this season.

Njoku received tremendous backlash from Browns fans after his trade request, and was dismayed by that. He responded July 20th on Twitter.



Njoku apparently felt he’d have to take a back seat to free agent signee Austin Hooper, whom the Browns made the NFL’s highest-paid tight end at $10.5 million a year. They also drafted Florida Atlantic tight end Harrison Bryant in the fourth round and still have Stephen Carlson and Pharoah Brown at the position.

One of the Browns’ three 2017 first-round picks along with Myles Garrett and Jabrill Peppers (traded in 2019 to the Giants), Njoku spent all of 2019 in Freddie Kitchens’ doghouse and was unhappy here last season. It seemed, however, that it was water under the bridge when the Browns hired Kevin Stefanski as head coach and Andrew Berry as GM.

“I have been pretty consistent this offseason in terms of we still have a ton of belief in David,” Berry said as he wrapped up the draft in April. “He’s very talented.

“Obviously, he was not on the field much last year, but he’s a guy with outstanding physical tools, he has proven NFL production and we still think the future is very bright with him here. David has always been and continues to be in our plans, and we’re going to continue to add competition all across the roster.”


Njoku suffered a broken wrist in Week 2 against the Jets and ultimately underwent surgery in October after initially planning to let it heal on its own. He did so to get back on the field, but when he returned for the final four games of the season, he landed on Kitchens’ bad side, and never recovered.

Njoku was a healthy scratch for two of his last four games, and caught only one pass on three targets in the two games he did play. In the season finale at Cincinnati, he wasn’t targeted at all. All told, he was limited to five catches on 10 targets for 41 yards and a TD in his four outings in 2019.

But Berry was here in 2017 when the Browns traded up to No. 29 to draft Njoku out of Miami, and has always seen his potential. In fact, he didn’t hesitate to pick up Njoku’s fifth-year option in May worth about $6.4 million for 2021. If Njoku plays as well as the Browns hope he does, he could be considered for an extension either during this season or after.


Njoku, who must still become more consistent catching the ball, showed great promise his second season, catching 56 passes for 639 yards and four TDs. He’s not a superstar tight end the caliber of a Rob Gronkowski, but a solid receiver and blocker who should fare well in Stefanski’s scheme. Last season, Stefanski used two tight ends 57% of the time, more than any team in the NFL.

What’s more, Njoku has experience and timing with Mayfield -- a tremendous asset in this Covid-19 marred season. Mayfield won’t have any preseason games to get his rhythm down with Hooper and Bryant, and only 14 padded practices spanning the final three weeks of training camp.

J/C I think our new regime just won the 1st game of chicken/ staring contest etc. David realized his best chance to be successful was going to be in Cleveland. I still think he is TE 1/b in our offensive scheme. He should have a good year, he all ready has chemistry with Baker and I think Baker trusts him. Not sure if they are going to split him out wide as I heard on Sirius FM, but his athleticism and speed do make him a mismatch for any Defense. Glad to hear he is in the fold and I hope we see a career year.

I count this a win for the triumvirate runing the FO. I think this is a good decision by Njoku. I'm pleased that the team and David took the high road and didn't make this a messy public spectacle.

Yeah it's so nice to see a distraction handled and quashed before the season, instead of festering and getting worse all year leading to the player leaving next season.

Well done FO.

I agree... unless we were blown away with a trade offer there's no reason to trade David... glad they seem to have worked it out... now let's get to work

I think all Njoku needed was to be back in the building and REALLY make sure Kitchens is no longer here.

Yeah, that's it.

JC



Cool, nobody wanted the guy, so he needs to be all in.

Welcome back David. No hard feelings.



Get it done.

Good call on this one. Might be silly, but we are long on TE, so how about Njoku or other folks that might be a matchup issue get into a single or double slot. Just think it could be a real headache come time to move the sticks, kind of like a "heavy/hands" set.

David Njoku wisely changes his mind; now needs to mature and produce for the Cleveland Browns

https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2020/08...and-browns.html

By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio – David Njoku played two collegiate seasons at Miami, where he caught 64 total passes in 26 games.

His final season with the Hurricanes featured 43 receptions, eight for TDs. His was an Honorable Mention pick for All-Atlantic Coast Conference.

That’s Honorable Mention All-ACC, not Honorable Mention All-American.

The ACC coaches picked THREE all-conference teams with three different tight ends, Njoku not making any of them. He was one of two honorable mentions.

Why mention Njoku’s solid but hardly spectacular college career?

Because when the Browns made him a first-round pick (No. 29 overall) in the 2017 draft, it wasn’t primarily due to what Njoku did in college.

It was a projection based on potential.

At 6-foot-4 and 246 pounds, he looked like a future NFL tight end. He was a high school state high-jump champion in Florida (7-foot-1). He was recruited by most major schools. He visited Ohio State, but turned down the Buckeyes to play tight end for Miami.

So you should have the picture of an athlete who makes coaches dream simply by walking into the room.

THE AGE FACTOR

Njoku was only 20 at the time of the draft.

NFL analytics likes young players who already have a few years of college experience. The idea is they can get into the NFL weight room and be taught by pro coaches as the player grows up physically and emotionally.

At the NFL combine, he ran 4.64 in the 40-yard dash. His vertical leap was 37 inches. He was among the top three tight ends in all the various drills. His body fat was 6%.

The NFL Network had him going at No. 18. ESPN’s Mel Kiper projected Njoku as the 20th pick. While his blocking skills were questioned, he was “a physical freak” according to some draft experts.

The Browns selecting him at No. 29 looked like a good move, at least based on the predraft projections.

THEN CAME THE MONEY

Consider that a guy who was only Honorable Mention All-ACC still was drafted in the first round. He signed a 4-year, $9.5 million deal, including a $5 million signing bonus, according to overthecap.com.

After his first three NFL seasons, what we see is a player who has the physical gifts to be a quality NFL tight end, but who hasn’t done enough on the field to match it.

That’s why I was very critical of Njoku demanding a trade in June after a season where he suffered a broken wrist and a concussion. He played four games and had five catches. The previous coaching staff wondered about his work ethic.

His best season was 2018, when he caught 56 passes, four for TDs. There were moments when he looked like a first-round pick as he made several sensational leaping catches.

But he also led all tight ends with eight dropped passes. Profootballfocus.com rated him 27th out of 28 starting tight ends in pass blocking in 2018.

Attention to detail was an issue.


TIME TO MATURE

Njoku wasn’t happy when the Browns signed free-agent tight end Austin Hooper to a 4-year, $44 million deal ($23 million guaranteed).

Njoku thought he was losing his starting job to Hooper. He had trouble comprehending that new coach Kevin Stefanski used at least two tight ends in an NFL-high 57% of his formations last year in Minnesota.

Furthermore, GM Andrew Berry was part of the front office that drafted Njoku in 2017, and Berry even picked up Njoku’s $6 million option for 2021.

My thought was Njoku should be humbled that the Browns still want him in their plans and showed it with the 2021 contract option.

Njoku now says he’s “all in” with the the Browns after meetings with Stefanski and Berry. The trade request is gone.

Some of those who know Njoku see him as a nice young man, but immature. His opinion of himself as a player doesn’t match what he demonstrates on the field.

With the Browns and a coach who is almost obsessed with squeezing the most out of the tight ends, Njoku is in the ideal spot to finally show the Browns were right by making him a first-round pick.

But that won’t happen until he begins to realize the days of him being a prized prospect are over. It’s time to produce.

From article:



This.

It’s time to get what we can for him and move on.

So he's taking back the takeback of his original trade demand?

Dude just got back from injury and had a pretty crappy drop yesterday.

He's an after thought in the game planning - and insurance.

Sadly we won't get remotely close to what it cost to acquire him. I'm very 'meh' on whether he stays or goes. I wanted him to be a stud so much ... and he has not been close.

I don’t blame him. He’s a free agent after this year and isn’t getting very much work on Sundays. I would want to maximize my value too. The problem is he has underperformed to the point that any value that he brings to the team is greater than the value we would receive in a trade.

Hate to trade him, but if we can get starting Safety then go for it ...

Are there teams with an extra almost-starter-caliber FS hanging around?

It's probably true, but we should probably wait to hear Njoku say it instead of relying solely on Mary Kay's "league source."

With stories like this I always assumed that "league source" was reporter-speak for "the player's agent".

I thought we picked up his 5th year option for next year?

We did.

The fifth year option is not guaranteed. We can cut him and he gets nothing (which is the most likely outcome right now).

Minnesota who are 1-5

I don’t blame him, but he’s been nonexistent for too long for us. I dont see much value ... at least if he stays here we have an experienced 3rd TE

it probably is time to trade him for a LB/HamSandsiwch/FS

The problem with Njoku is the same problem Vernon has. Although both are talented they can't stay on the field. This diminishes their value.

As other posters have said, why do I get the sinking feeling that wherever he lands, the light will go on, he'll grow hands and he'll be a beast for someone else?

Maybe not.

Hope I'm wrong, and I'm just remembering some of the other Browns who have moved on to other teams.

No matter. his days here were numbered anyway.

Hope there's not a couple injuries at TE.

When it comes to MKC, "league source" can mean "something I made up".

I saw the way Njoku and some other receivers looked at Baker last week after Baker came up to them on the sideline after throwing that ridiculous pick to number 58. It wasn't good.

Today, and this might mean absolutely nothing because they are talking heads, but on First Take this morning, Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman were discussing Baker and they said that OBJ and Landry should demand trades because Baker is holding them back. Guys only have a certain number of "prime" years and you gotta make your jack when you can.

Yes, it is sensationalism to an extent and it's a "hot take," but I've been wondering about this myself. We've seen this play out before w/QBs like Blake Bortles.

We are loaded w/talent and I hope that it doesn't come down like this. The trouble is that even if Baker is holding those guys back and they don't believe in him, I doubt Keenum is good enough to make a significant difference.

I feel terrible for OBJ honestly.

Guy runs open all game.

His talent is being wasted.

How many QBs would kill for a talent like that?

Ugh.

This team has a ton of talent. I hope that these guys all stick it out and either Baker improves or we go another direction next year. I don't want to lose the likes of OBJ and Landry.

We're close. Good QB, LBer, and S play and we could be a dominant team.

I hope all the guys realize that, but I do get that you gotta put up numbers when you can to get the cash.

On Njoku’s twitter account he says he didnt request a trade. Even though MKC said right under his post he did. So who knows.

Thanks for the info. Not telling anyone what to think, but I'm going to believe Njoku until he proves otherwise.

j/c

oh man...




she is the worst! can we trade her?

Mark Kay has long skated on her behavior.