Daily Dawg Tags: Cleveland Browns expected to keep Austin Hooper
By Randy Gurzi
The Daily Dawg Tags bring you all the Cleveland Browns news you need to know, including the belief that Austin Hooper will return in 2022 despite David Njoku receiving the franchise tag
David Njoku wound up being one of the players hit with the franchise tag as the Cleveland Browns made sure to keep their former first-round pick for another season. With his price tag now surpassing $10 million, there was an expectation that Austin Hooper could be on the way out.
One of general manager Andrew Berry’s top signings in his first year on the job, Hooper has yet to live up to expectations. However, it doesn’t appear as though Berry is ready to move on from No. 81.
On Tuesday, it was reported that Cleveland is expected to run it back with both Njoku and Hooper. While this could be a ploy to see if anyone will trade for Hooper, it could also be true that the Browns are still sold on having two high-end players at the position.
A look at this story and more can be found in today’s Daily Dawg Tags.
Cleveland Browns News
"“According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the AFC North team plans on keeping Austin Hooper and his $9.5 million in base salary for 2022 even though David Njoku is returning on a franchise tag worth $10.9 million.”"
Polacek cites a tweet from Fowler that the Browns are indeed expecting to have both tight ends on the field once again in 2022. It’s a bit of a surprise given how ineffective Hooper has been as well as the presence of Harrison Bryant, but then again, this could all be part of the plan to see if anyone wants to make a move for the former Pro Bowl tight end.
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Baker Mayfield has stayed away from social media, which is something he felt he needed to do. However, coming back to thank the Sooners for such an honor makes plenty of sense.
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