The Cleveland Browns’ decision to let tight end David Njoku test free agency ahead of his 10th season with the team was understandable, given the emergence of Harold Fannin Jr. and the franchise's clear lean into a youth movement.
What’s indefensible is the front office’s failure to replace Njoku’s spot on the depth chart. Now less than a month away from the regular season opener, Cleveland’s situation at tight end is bordering on disastrous.
With fifth-round rookie Joe Royer away from the team due to a personal matter, injuries have suddenly piled up for a group that had little to no proven depth to begin with. Veteran Brenden Bates was waived with an injury designation last week and reverted to the Browns’ season-ending injured reserve list. They pivoted to rookie Dae'Quan Wright, but he hasn’t practiced as part of a pool of players who could soon be eligible to return to college football in 2026.
The latest hit came on Thursday when the Browns placed Jack Stoll, arguably their top inline option at the position as a blocker, on IR. In a corresponding move, the team announced that it had signed rookie Drew Biber of the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Cleveland’s depth chart is now in shambles. Fannin, special teams ace Blake Whiteheart, and seventh-round rookie Carsen Ryan are the team’s clear top three, with little more than fringe NFL talent at best behind them.
As for GM Andrew Berry’s decision not to sign Njoku to an extension this offseason? You could argue that no Browns decision has aged more poorly in 2026.
Andrew Berry's gamble at tight end has left the Browns scrambling for answers
There are layers to the Njoku move, and the more you peel them back, the more confusing his exit gets.Â
He was a popular name to watch at last year’s trade deadline, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Browns were not inclined to trade him. Njoku wound up riding out the final months of his contract mostly on the bench due to a knee issue. His deal eventually expired at the start of the 2026 league year with a $9.5 million dead-cap parting gift.
Few batted an eye at the move, though, with Njoku entering his 30s and Fannin emerging as the focal point of Cleveland’s passing attack. But after hiring Todd Monken as head coach, Berry could have targeted one of his former tight ends with the Baltimore Ravens, Isaiah Likely or Charlie Kolar, in free agency. The latter felt like the ideal complementary fit alongside Fannin given his high-end blocking abilities and cheaper market.
But the Browns frustratingly missed out on both of those players, instead pivoting to Stoll, who has some blocking upside but was never a lock to make the roster this summer. Berry then miscalculated an early run on tight ends during the NFL Draft. The solution ended up being Royer in the fifth round and Ryan in the seventh.
Royer flashed intriguing pass-catching skills during Monken’s spring program, but he was always a risky proposition as Cleveland’s potential sidekick to Fannin this year. He was the 15th tight end drafted in 2026. His current absence from the team is obviously bigger than football, but Berry and the Browns put themselves in this position by taking flyers on mostly unproven commodities at an important position group.
The Browns have made a series of moves just to field healthy bodies at the position for training camp, but something bigger almost has to be brewing behind the scenes. Whether it’s committing some unplanned 2026 cash to a free agent like Zach Ertz or Will Dissly, or swinging a trade for a player like Colby Parkinson of the Los Angeles Rams, Berry may have to throw a Hail Mary soon.
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