5 Cleveland Browns players with the most at stake in 2021
By Sam Penix
![Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) looks downfield as Indianapolis Colts defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad (97) closes in during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020, in Cleveland, Ohio. [Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal]Baker Cover](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fhttps-3A-2F-2Fdawgpounddaily-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fimagn-images-2F2017-2F07-2F15969817-850x560-8d953e6b2c3b98e4a868394f3e261721a00adcedac62395b5d49472fb60a8043.jpg "Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) looks downfield as Indianapolis Colts defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad (97) closes in during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020, in Cleveland, Ohio. [Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal]Baker Cover")
Five Cleveland Browns with much at stake in 2021.
The Cleveland Browns are trying to win a Super Bowl this season, so the team of course has a lot at stake. There are plenty of individual players whose long-term outlooks will be heavily impacted by their performance in 2021. Here are five of those guys.
5. TE David Njoku
Cleveland made Austin Hooper the highest-paid tight end in NFL history (at least, at the time) and then drafted Harrison Bryant within two months of each other, which made former first-rounder David Njoku feel unwanted. The fourth-year man requested a trade in July of last year, but the team declined to deal him. Instead of pouting and/or becoming a distraction in an attempt to force his way out, Njoku instead put his head down and worked his tail off.
He turned three Week 1 targets into 50 yards and a touchdown before leaving with an injury. He returned in Week 5, and for the duration of the year, was the team’s best all-around tight end. He is clearly the most explosive pass-catcher in the room, and dramatically improved his blocking, which was a weak point of his game over his first three years in the league.
Njoku is playing on his fifth-year option which pays him $6 million this season. That’s an awful lot to be paying a third-string TE, and that’s because he shouldn’t be the third-string TE. He played much better than either Hooper and Bryant, and deserves to be at the top of the depth chart.
Over the regular season, Njoku caught only 19 passes for 213 yards and a score. Yet, when given the opportunity, he proved to be a trustworthy and explosive target. Still, those low-volume stats won’t help him in contract negotiations, whether that’s with the Browns or another franchise.
Njoku needs to stay healthy and needs to be thrown to more, but he started off his career as one of the best statistical TEs ever over his first two seasons, and though the numbers may not show it, had his best campaign so far in 2020. He’s still only 24 years old, and has a vast amount of untapped potential. Perhaps he’ll be allowed to showcase it in 2021, earning himself a nice payday next offseason.