Dawgs By Nature
David Njoku is in the final year of his contract.
The next position we’re looking at in our Cleveland Browns training camp preview is tight end.
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 246 lbs | Age: 28
Experience: 9 years | College: Miami
David Njoku is now entering the ninth year of his NFL career, all of them with the Cleveland Browns. Given his athletic ability and dominance he has shown at times, it seems almost crazy that he’s never cracked the 1,000-yard milestone. The closes he came was in 2023, when he had 882 yards. Last year, the injury bug hit Njoku a bit, as he missed six games and finished the season with 64 catches for 505 yards and 5 touchdowns. What’s notable about that is the 7.9 yards per catch were well under his career average. In 2020 (11.2), 2021 (13.2), 2022 (10.8), and 2023 (10.9), he was well above that each year.
If Joe Flacco is the Browns’ starting quarterback to begin the year, it should be a welcome sight to Njoku fans. During Flacco’s four-game win streak at the end of the 2023 season, Njoku had 28 catches for 373 yards and 4 touchdowns. One thing people will be looking at during the season is whether the team still has long-term plans for Njoku. He’s still youthful at 28 years of age, but he’s entering the final year of his contract, and this is around the area where a player might be signing their final long-term deal in the NFL. Njoku has shown lots of love to the city of Cleveland, but will the Browns want to get cheaper at the position? Will Njoku want to go find a better contender?
With Cleveland relatively unproven at the wide receiver position, they should be leaning on their tight end targets a lot in 2025.
Final Roster Odds: 100%
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 241 lbs | Age: 20
Experience: Rookie | College: Bowling Green
When the Browns selected Harold Fannin Jr in the third round of this year’s draft, fans were pretty stoked to add a complementary receiving tight end to the group, thinking about some of the mismatches the team can create. But, was the team also preparing for 2026 and beyond, when Njoku is set to be a free agent after this season?
Fannin played college locally at Bowling Green, and here is what Dane Brugler said about him heading into the draft:
A two-year starter at Bowling Green, Fannin played the “A” tight end position in head coach Scot Loeffler’s pro-style spread offense, splitting his snaps between inline/wing (38.3 percent), slot (31.7 percent) and out wide (26.2 percent). In an offense designed to weaponize its tight end, Fannin transitioned from high school safety and had arguably the greatest tight end season in FBS history in 2024, setting single-season records for catches (117) and receiving yards (1,555). He became...
