David Njoku still wants out but does he even have value?

David Njoku still wants out before the trade deadline

According to Mary Kay Cabot and a source close to cleveland.com, Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku would still like to be traded before the NFL’s trade deadline on November 3rd.

When it comes to Njoku, the Browns messed up big time. Why?

Before the season had even started, Njoku had said that he wanted out of Cleveland. Once the Browns signed Austin Hooper and drafted rookie tight end Harrison Bryant, it was pretty clear that the Browns were ready to move on from Njoku.

New head coach Kevin Stefanski is a run-first, play action type of guy, we all know that. Njoku has never been able to block and has been a liability when it comes to injuries and drops in the past. That said, why did they hang onto him?

Apparently, the Browns still had “big plans” for him in their offense, despite him not wanting to be there anymore. What has he done so far this year? He has continued to prove that he struggles in the blocking game, has 5 catches and has said multiple times he wants out of Cleveland.

Overall, not trading Njoku from the jump is the only move I do not like from the new leaders of the Browns, and the news that he now wants out again just makes things worse. Myself, along with a few others, were in a small crowd wanting the Browns to move him before the season for this exact reason. Now, they sit in a hole trying to move him when he has little to no value, when they could have gotten more for him in the offseason.

I believe the max the Browns will be able to get for Njoku in terms of a draft pick would be a 5th rounder at best, most likely a 6th. The smartest thing for the Browns to do here would be to try and get a young, raw linebacker with some upside, or try to shoot for more help on defense elsewhere.

Njoku will end up being another wasted first-round pick for the Browns, one that we are fortunate to get away with, all thanks to Hooper and Bryant.

Again, hopefully the Browns can get a young player on the defensive side of the ball in exchange for Njoku. If not, they will have to settle for a late round draft pick and hope for the best.