Cleveland Browns 53-man roster prediction without Deshaun Watson
By Randy Gurzi
Cleveland Browns Tight Ends (3):
David Njoku
Harrison Bryant
Zaire Mitchell-Paden
After a solid season in 2021, David Njoku was hit with the franchise tag which guaranteed he would be making at least $10 million this coming season. The Browns committed to him as their future tight end, and said goodbye to Austin Hooper — who they had signed in 2020.
Not long after hitting him with the tag, Njoku and the Browns agreed to a five-year, $56.75 million contract. As is often the case, this led to some questions about whether or not he was overpaid — something he admitted he didn’t hear about until showing up for minicamps.
David Njoku said he wasn’t aware that his extension sparked a debate over whether or not the #Browns overpaid him pic.twitter.com/xriL0Ey8WQ
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) June 1, 2022
Njoku will have every chance to prove he’s worth the money this season as the unquestioned No. 1 tight end. As for the No. 2 guy, that will be third-year pro Harrison Bryant.
Originally taken in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Bryant was the top tight end in the nation for Florida Atlantic in 2019. As a pro, he’s shown he can get it done with 45 receptions for 471 yards and six touchdowns in his first two seasons. He should be able to improve on those statistics now that he moves from third to second in the pecking order.
Third on this prediction is another FAU product, Zaire Mitchell-Paden who comes to Cleveland as an undrafted free agent. He’s a physical beast who can win with his athleticism but could also be developed into a complete threat with the right coaching.