Cleveland Browns low usage of David Njoku is unacceptable

The way David Njoku has been utilized is downright criminal

15 games into Kevin Stefanski’s inaugural season as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, the tight end position has been used about as expected, with the team using 12 personnel 23 percent of the time, which ranks ninth in the NFL, and using 13 personnel a league-leading 14 percent of the time.

After exercising David Njoku‘s fifth-year option, making Austin Hooper the highest-paid TE in NFL history, and selecting Harrison Bryant in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, it stood to reason that Stefanski would bring the TE-heavy offense he ran with the Minnesota Vikings to Cleveland.

However, the presence of a player on the field doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s a factor in the gameplan, and that has certainly been the case in 2020. Baker Mayfield has targeted tight ends on 27 percent of his passes, and 54 percent of those targets have gone to Hooper. Bryant has had some nice moments, but he’s a rookie whose hands have been suspect in recent weeks and who has had an issue hanging onto the ball after catching it. It’s understandable that he isn’t a featured part of the offense at this point in his career.

What is beyond understanding is why David Njoku continues to be ignored in the passing game. He’s played just 43 percent of offensive snaps in the games he’s been active for this season, and for the majority of those, he’s been used as a blocker, which was the weaker part of his game, at least up until this season; he’s been excellent in pass protection, and is Cleveland’s best run-blocking tight end. He gives consistent effort and executes his assignments well. He’s even had a few pancake highlights.