The time has come for David Njoku. His talent and ability has been teasing us for years.
Freak Athlete
⏱️ 4.64 40-time
🚄 105.6 Speed Score
🔥 132.1 Burst Score
Stop & Go
Cleveland took him in the 1st round in 2017 with pick 29th overall pick. In his first 2 years, Njoku looked like he was going to be a fast riser. However, injuries got in the way in 2019 and 2020. As he returned in 2021, we saw flashes of that ability in Week 5 when he went 7 for 7, posting 149 yards and a TD for 27.9 fantasy points. But then he went quiet again. So why the excitement now?
Clear Path
For starters, Austin Hooper is out the door opening the opportunity for Njoku to work as the clear-cut starter. Hooper had 62 targets and saw a 68.1% snap count last season. Cleveland is investing in Njoku with a 4-year $56.7 million dollar extension ($28 million guaranteed), making him the 4th highest-paid TE in the NFL. The Browns wouldn’t pay a ton of money to a player they wouldn’t use… right? Harrison Bryant should operate as the 2, but it’s the Njoku Show now.
Opportunity Awaits
A lot of change to the offense in 2022. Amari Cooper was added to be the WR1, but behind him there’s a lot of question marks. David Bell is a rookie, Peoples-Jones or Anthony Schwartz had shown flashes here and there. Njoku knows the offense and could easily move around in that offense and should see 85+targets this year while operating as a red zone machine for Watson (assuming he plays).
QB Upgrade?
Now, comes the QB. Cleveland went out and traded for Deshaun Watson and to me this is saying the Browns are looking to open the offense up a lot more. You do not go out and trade for a top 3 QB and run the ball, right Seattle? Njoku should be able to take advantage of mismatches and Watson’s big arm and set career highs all over the board. Who knows if Watson plays or not but we know that Njoku is tied to Watson for the time being. Sleeper has Njoku as the TE19 off the board as a smash value in dynasty and redraft. Njoku is set up for a potential top 5 finish at the position this year. Treat yo’ self!
