Cleveland Browns: 4 things Andrew Berry may be wrong on
By Greg Newland
No. 1 – Massive Extensions
I’m a firm believer in extending players who are talented. I remember a time when the Cleveland Browns didn’t have anyone worth extending. There was over a decade where no one player not named Joe Thomas ever got a second contract with the Cleveland Browns. Some of that had to do with people wanting to get away, but you get my point.
Recently with an influx of talent, Myles Garrett, Nick Chubb, Wyatt Teller, Denzel Ward, and David Njoku have all signed big extensions for their position. Three of those five players were totally deserving, but I really struggle with the Ward and Njoku contracts. Remember, the name of this piece is “may be wrong”
Both guys may end up making me look like a fool for saying this out loud, but why did either deserve such massive extensions? Ward has always struggled to stay healthy (2022 being no different) and has had a ton of miscommunication errors so far this year as well.
In his four years in the league, I would say he has played just over a full season of elite football. Not saying he wouldn’t eventually deserve this deal, but I hate being locked up with a guy that plays 10 games per season.
It’s a similar story with Njoku. He has probably 10 catches throughout his career that make top plays of the week. He’s a freak athlete at tight end and has really made steps in improving his run-blocking skills. I love his worth ethic and leadership, but I can’t say I think he earned a four-year deal making him one of the highest-paid tight ends in the league. Similar to Ward, Njoku has a history of missing at least four games per season.
I know there are some politics here and you must extend players to keep them happy, I’m just not sold Berry has picked the right guys yet. But like I said, I hope he proves me wrong.
