Cleveland Browns: Stock rises for Grant Delpit, plummets for John Johnson

While the Cleveland Browns were eliminated from playoff contention this week player’s stock rose for Grant Delpit and tanked for John Johnson

The weather was ugly, the temperatures were brutally cold, and the winds were horrible in the Cleveland Browns loss to the visiting New Orleans Saints 17-10 this past weekend.

While the weather did play a factor in the game, some Browns players excelled while others continue to ride out the season with little effort. Cleveland is standing at 6-9 now on the season and has been eliminated from playoff contention. Much of those poor results have to do with too many players making mistakes and not staying engaged when they are out on the playing field.

Let’s take a look at a few of those disappointing players but also give props to those Browns that are still trying to help the team win.

Cleveland Browns player stock up: Grant Delpit, S

Grant Delpit started the team off on the right foot when he intercepted a pass in the first quarter that he ran back 40 yards putting the Browns in excellent field position. From there, the offense went on the score their first touchdown and take a 7-0 lead over the Saints.

Delpit finished with seven tackles on the day and has been one bright spot in the secondary of a rather inconsistent group this season.

The youngster from LSU will be heading into his fourth season in 2023 with Cleveland. He was injured for all of 2020 but has made steady progress in this his second full season with the team.

He’s recorded 95 tackles, had two interceptions, and knocked down eight passes. It will be interesting to see if the team chooses to extend his contract this offseason before he becomes a free agent in 2024.

Cleveland Browns player stock down: David Njoku, TE

During pregame, like in previous games, David Njoku came out on the field shirtless to warm up. It was six degrees and windchills were -20 but that didn’t stop the brash tight end from making a scene.

Maybe he feels the shirtless warm-up is supposed to give him the upper hand and make him play better. While Njoku has had some good games this season, like his performance against the Cincinnati Bengals where he caught seven passes for 59 yards and a touchdown, he’s mostly been a non-factor on Sundays.

Against the Saints, he was targeted five times and only caught two passes for 14 yards. The most important pass to come his way, — which he inexcusably dropped — was a perfect throw from Deshaun Watson in the closing seconds of the game that would have been a touchdown and likely tied the game.

For the season, Njoku now has 53 catches for 565 yards. He could outdo his career-best 2018 season when he finished with 56 catches and 639 yards, but in the end, he’s failed to live up to his expensive price tag.