Dawg Pound Daily
FanSided

Cleveland Browns: 3 Free agent tight ends to challenge David Njoku

By Randy Gurzi

CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 15: Tyler Eifert #85 of the Cincinnati Bengals runs into the end zone for a touchdown during the first quarter of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Paul Brown Stadium on September 15, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 15: Tyler Eifert #85 of the Cincinnati Bengals runs into the end zone for a touchdown during the first quarter of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Paul Brown Stadium on September 15, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
PITTSBURGH, PA – DECEMBER 15: Nick Vannett #88 of the Pittsburgh Steelers in action during the game against the Buffalo Bills at Heinz Field on December 15, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – DECEMBER 15: Nick Vannett #88 of the Pittsburgh Steelers in action during the game against the Buffalo Bills at Heinz Field on December 15, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

3. Nick Vannett, Pittsburgh Steelers

More from Dawg Pound Daily

The first name we look at isn’t exactly a household name but that doesn’t mean he can’t produce. Nick Vannett is a local product who grew up in Westerville, not far from Columbus. It was no surprise when he ended up joining the Ohio State Buckeyes and did well enough for them to be chosen in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks.

By 2018, he had started to come into his own for Seattle, catching 29 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns. However, he fell behind Will Dissly in 2019 and that led to him being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers early in the season.

Pittsburgh surrendered a fifth-round pick for his services and ended up with just 13 receptions on the year from him. With that being the case, it’s safe to assume the unrestricted free agent is going to hit the open market. And if he does, the Browns would be wise to bring him in as competition.

Unlike the names that will follow on this list, Vannett doesn’t possess a lot of starting experience. He does, however, show potential and could end up being a decent option as a No. 2 tight end. While he wasn’t as good in 2019 following the trade, he did show some signs of being a good run blocker in Seattle.

On top of that, he seems to catch just about everything that comes his way. For his career, he has brought in 61-of-84 passes, for a catch rate of 72.6 percent. That’s not bad at all for a player who teams would often forget about on a star-studded offense.

Home/Browns News