The possible future of the Cleveland Browns tight ends

The future of the Cleveland Browns tight end position could look a little different than many may have anticipated just one year ago and here’s why:

In a rather unexpected move to many fans on the first day of free agency in 2020, the Cleveland Browns and tight end Austin Hooper reached an agreement on a four-year contract which made him the highest-paid tight end at the time.

When the Browns signed Hooper, he was coming off of the best statistical season of his young career. In 2019, Hooper finished the season with 75 catches for 787 yards and 6 touchdowns (all career highs).

At the time of the signing, it seemed like a bit of an “overpay” to make Hooper the highest-paid tight end but that narrative was quickly put to rest because of the common idea that it is just what happens when you want the top player on the market at a given position.

In Hooper’s first season with the Browns, he played 13 games while reeling in 46 passes for 435 yards and 4 touchdowns.

While we expected a decline in the statistics from Hooper because of the number of mouths to feed on this offense, this is not what the Browns wanted to get out of (at the time) the highest-paid tight end in the league.

There are definitely not only negatives about Hooper’s season last season though. One advanced stat that he excelled in was contested catches.

With a down season in 2020, many expect Hooper’s workload to increase which could lead to a more dominant season for him. But the question that remains is whether or not he deserves to be paid like one of the league’s premier tight ends.

Throughout the 2021 training camp so far, Hooper has dropped his fair share of footballs and is not impressing. There is another tight end on this roster who has surprisingly been showing out in camp so far and catching essentially everything that’s coming his way. Any guesses on who this may be? If you guessed David Njoku, then you are correct.

Since being drafted, Njoku has had his ups and downs in Cleveland, to say the least. A first-round selection in 2017, Njoku’s height and athleticism have set him apart from other tight ends. He has a rare ability to be that big, and be able to go up and catch the football over defenders.

He has also had his fair share of drop problems throughout his career but it seems to have been fixed, at least to this point in training camp. He went up and over a New York Giants defensive back in one-on-one drills during their joint practices on Thursday and Friday.

On August 14th, we learned that David Njoku had fired his agent Drew Rosenhaus and returned to his former agent Malki Kawa (First Round Management).

In a press conference just days ago, Njoku stated that he wants to stay in Cleveland long term after requesting a trade out of Cleveland just one year ago.

The Cleveland Browns need to start thinking about all of these contract extensions now. Nick Chubb was the first deal to get done on August 2nd. Now, all of the following players are worthy of becoming extended: Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, Wyatt Teller, Ronnie Harrison, and David Njoku.

One potential option at tight end would be to let Austin Hooper go if he does not work out as planned after this season and sign David Njoku to an extension which would be significantly less money than Hooper.

The Browns also have a good, young tight end in Harrison Bryant. In his rookie year, he showed glimpses of what he could do on the field. With a duo of Njoku and Bryant, the tight end room could still be lethal without Hooper around.

It may not be a move that the fans are excited about, but it may be a move that becomes a reality in the near future.