Cleveland Browns: Pre-training camp 53-man roster prediction
By Randy Gurzi
Tight End (4): David Njoku, Demetrius Harris, Orson Charles, Seth DeValve
Cleveland has a lot of talent at the tight end position as they head into training camp. Their starter will be David Njoku, a first-round pick out of Miami in 2017. Njoku entered the league incredibly young and only recently turned 23-years of age. So far in his career, he’s proven to be a good option in the receiving game as he has 88 receptions for 1,025 yards and eight touchdowns in his first two seasons.
He made huge strides last year and there’s no reason to think he won’t do the same during his third campaign in the NFL. However, there is an area where he needs to improve. During the offseason, Njoku was challenged by general manager John Dorsey to work on his blocking.
Njoku is no slouch in this department, but he could stand to improve some which would make him a more complete player. Should he do that, his name could start to be mentioned among some of the best tight ends currently playing in the league.
Behind Njoku is Demetrius Harris, who followed Dorsey from Kansas City to Cleveland as a free agent addition this year. Harris has shown flashes of being a solid receiver while also excelling as a blocker. He should have an expanded role in Cleveland and could be a surprise contributor this year.
Orson Charles is listed as a tight end, but really plays more of an H-Back role. He lined up a lot in the backfield last year as a lead blocker and should continue that role in 2019. The fact that he spends time in the backfield helps Seth DeValve, who is on the roster bubble but still makes it in this prediction.