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The 3 biggest mistakes by the Cleveland Browns this offseason

By Greg Newland

CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 24: Joe Schobert #53 of the Cleveland Browns celebrates with Mack Wilson #51 and T.J. Carrie #38 of the Cleveland Browns after his second interception of the game in the fourth quarter against the Miami Dolphins at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland defeated Miami 41-24. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 24: Joe Schobert #53 of the Cleveland Browns celebrates with Mack Wilson #51 and T.J. Carrie #38 of the Cleveland Browns after his second interception of the game in the fourth quarter against the Miami Dolphins at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland defeated Miami 41-24. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /
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Cleveland Browns
CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 14: David Njoku #85 of the Cleveland Browns runs onto the field during the player introduction prior to the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 14, 2018, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

3. Accepting fifth-year option on tight end David Njoku

With the addition of pro-bowl tight end Austin Hooper in free agency, many were surprised that the Browns decided to pick up the fifth-year option of David Njoku. Stefanski has been vocal that you can never have enough tight ends, but with all the offensive weapons on the Browns roster, it remains to be seen if there will be enough targets to keep Njoku motivated.

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Njoku had a solid rookie year with 32 receptions, 386 yards, and four touchdowns. He followed that up in year two with 56 receptions, 639 yards, and another four touchdowns.

Many expected a huge year for Njoku in 2019, but an unfortunate injury early in the season would never allow him to get on track.  In four games last year, Njoku had five catches for only 41 yards, however, one of those catches was for a touchdown.

To this point, Njoku has been a great team player, but he doesn’t appear to be a great fit in the Stefanski scheme. One of Hooper’s bright spots is his ability to block, which Stefanski needs in his wide zone scheme. Njoku has become a great pass-catching tight end but is a well below average inline blocker.  Obviously, there is a chance the Njoku will accept the challenge and improve his blocking while being an important part of the offense as the second tight end.

The fear here is that with limited targets, Njoku will become frustrated and only become a piece that the Browns are trying to trade in 2020. Njoku has been a solid performer but doesn’t appear he will live up to the first-round pick the Browns spent on him in 2017.

With a fully guaranteed salary of over $6 million in 2021, Njoku could be tough to get rid of and will be an expensive asset if injured or frustrated with his role. It felt like the right move was to cut ties after 2020.

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