Cleveland Browns: What roles will Browns tight ends have in 2018?

The Cleveland Browns have two solid tight ends with David Njoku and Seth Devalve, but how will new offensive coordinator Todd Haley handle the workload between the two?

Before Josh Gordon returned to the team late in the 2017 season, the two best receivers on the Cleveland Browns roster were David Njoku and Seth Devalve. The tight ends were the only wide receivers or tight ends to have more than 30 receptions and over 300 receiving yards.

But with a new offensive coordinator and new offensive scheme, there is uncertainty about what roles they will have in the offense. Todd Haley has not had a dominant tight end on his offense since Heath Miller in 2015. However, he only had Miller during the back-end of his career.

It is hard to guess how Haley will use two young and promising tight ends based on recent history. But the one fact that is interesting to look at is how often Haley has his tight ends on the field.

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In 2017, Steelers tight end Jesse James was on the field for 81.92 percent of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps. But backup tight end Vance McDonald was only on the field for 24.5 percent of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps.

The second tight end in Haley’s offense has only been on the field for more than 30 percent of the team’s offensive snaps once since 2012 – Matt Spaeth was on the field for 30.6 percent of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps in 2014.

The starting tight end in Haley’s offense has been on the field for more than 78 percent of the team’s offensive snaps every year since 2012.

Compare that to last year for the Browns, when Devalve was on the field for 49.72 percent of Cleveland’s offensive snaps. Njoku was not on the field as often, as he was on the field for 46.82 percent of offensive snaps.

It is a stark contrast between what the Browns did last year with their tight ends compared to how Haley has used his tight ends in his offense.

But with the talent of Njoku and Devalve, Haley will have to change what he has historically done with his tight ends to put the best players on the field in 2018. But how can Haley utilize the two at the same time.

It is almost guaranteed that Njoku will be on the field for more than half of Cleveland’s snaps. Last season, he was on and off the field because of his struggles blocking. But if the Browns want Njoku and Devalve on the field at the same time, they do not have to use their tight ends in a traditional fashion.

Haley can use Devalve as the in-line tight end as he is a better blocker than Njoku. They can then put Njoku split out wide as a receiver. He has the speed and athleticism to be comfortable on the outside, and Haley can utilize his size to create mismatches against smaller cornerbacks or safeties.

But even if Njoku and Devalve are on the field more often than Haley typically puts his tight ends on the field, they may not receive as many targets. Last year, Jesse James was only targeted 63 times. Njoku and Devalve were targeted 60 and 58 times. Both of the Browns tight ends almost received the same amount of targets as the Steelers starting tight end.

Unless Haley is true to his word and tailors his offense around the talents of the players in his offense, there are major questions if both Njoku and Devalve will be on the field as often as they should be.

Njoku will likely be on the field for about 80 percent of the offensive snaps in 2018. But he may not get as many targets as he should. In an offense with Gordon, Jarvis Landry, and Duke Johnson, it will be hard to get the ball as often as he should.

But the real question surrounds Devalve. Even though he is a solid receiver and a decent blocker, his snap count will likely go down in 2018. The Browns signed Darren Fells to be a reliable blocking tight end, which would cut into Devalve’s snap counts.

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And based on Haley’s track record, he prefers to use three wide receiver sets instead of two tight end sets. So even though Devalve showed potential in 2017, the new offense in 2018 will likely not be a welcoming feeling for the tight end.

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