David Njoku’s Ascension Into Top Tier Tight End Could Not Have Come At A Better Time For 2023 Browns
The Cleveland Browns’ offense has needed players to step up throughout the season due to injuries and depth. David Njoku has answered the call ascending into the top tier of NFL tight ends.
The 2023 season has been a roller coaster for the Cleveland Browns offense. The injuries to certain positions have forced the collective unit to step up their game to make up for the lack of depth and skill at other positions.
There are a select few who have carried the overall burden for the group and at the top of that list is tight end David Njoku. Coming off a season where he moved in the right direction–one where he hauled in 58 catches for 628 yards–the expectations for Njoku were continued progress in the passing game contributions to go along with his versatility as a blocker.
He has met that standard in 2023 despite the shuffle of quarterbacks as he has racked up 882 yards and six touchdowns on a career-high 81 receptions. He has become a true dual-threat at the position, one of the rare ones in the NFL, who is threatening defenses at all levels of the field.
Kevin Stefanski spoke recently about his progress as a player Njoku has shown in his time with the Browns. “Well, to the first part about not getting attention nationally. I mean, there can’t be many better than him when you talk about complete tight ends, whether it’s the run or the pass. And I’ve seen him grow, certainly as a player in our time together, but he’s a dynamic football player. And then the piece about off the field.”
Stefanski also spoke about the person and leader Njoku has turned into. “I just think he’s an incredible teammate. He’s a positive force in this building, both on the practice field, in the locker room, and on the game field. He brings such great energy to this team. And when I say that specifically, he picks his teammates up more than anybody on our team, I should take that back. Po (Ethan Pocic) probably has him close, but if you watch our tape, watch who the first guy down is picking his teammates up, and we make a big deal of that. Alex Van Pelt does an awesome job with the offense. He actually tracks pickups, and whoever leads that week gets a toy pickup truck. And Dave’s won it a bunch. Po’s won it. Jerome Ford does a great job, but I just think Dave, the teammate that he’s become, and I’ve got to watch it firsthand here over the last four years, but an unbelievably positive force for this football team.”
The Browns are watching this unfold right in front of them and they couldn’t be more pleased with what Njoku is contributing. Let’s look at some data and film from Njoku’s best NFL season.
What has stood out the most this year is Njoku’s ability to turn short air-yard throws into meaningful gains. The Browns offense has been plastered together to fit inexperienced quarterbacks and that means plenty of shallow answers in West Coast schemes. Njoku hasn’t traveled the vertical route tree as often as in recent years but his ability to force missed tackles is unique.
For the year, Njoku has turned 53 short receptions (0-9 yards) into 409 yards after catch. His 7.7 yards after the catch per reception lead all NFL tight ends by nearly two full yards. For the season they have only targeted him on 16 throws in the intermediate range (10-19 yards) yet he is still 5th in the NFL in YAC/REC.
Njoku has forced a total of 22 missed tackles for the year which leads all NFL tight ends (Travis Kelce is 2nd with 17). His 35 first-down receptions also put him at 7th in the NFL. When the Browns have needed an interior answer in the passing game, they have found Njoku for great success.
What you also have to understand is his 4.8 ADOT (average distance of target) means he is the one creating the big plays here. The schemed-up throws you usually find for tight ends in the 10-19 yard range have not been something the Browns could consistently find for Njoku until Joe Flacco took over.
Njoku is responsible for creating his yards
Another important element in Njoku’s development has been his ability to track and catch those difficult ball placement throws and the contested catch variety. Njoku has 22 contested catch opportunities this year trailing only T.J. Hockenson. He has hauled in 10 of those chances for a 45.5 contested catch percentage and is top-7 among his peers.
While Njoku’s grades don’t reflect how he is respected among his peers in the blocking aspect, he is still a dominant force in the running game and occasionally the max protect passing game. Njoku lines up inline as a traditional tight end (hand in the dirt) at the second-highest rate in the NFL trailing only George Kittle. The assignments this offense tasks Njoku to accomplish are not the normal roles teams ask their receiving capable tight ends to accomplish.
Njoku will be setting the outside edge on wide zone, climbing to linebackers on gap schemes, pulling outside in pin/pull, or sealing the edge against big edge defenders in those same schemes. These are no easy tasks. Njoku is among the league leaders in run-blocking snaps at 358 meaning he rarely leaves the field and his 56 pass-blocking reps also tell you he doesn’t take those reps off either. They use him constantly.
Njoku grades out 40th out of 84 tight ends in run blocking with among the highest rep counts and 11th in the NFL in pass blocking grade with top-10 opportunities there as well. Njoku only plays 42% of his snaps blocking but is near the highest in the NFL in reps. Long story short, he never leaves the field and is a rare versatile weapon in this league.
There is no doubt Njoku is aiming to be more consistent in the blocking phase and his old drop issues had a mid-season flare-up. However, it is important to note that among his elite peers, Njoku has a lower drop percentage than Kittle. His seven drops are too many, but it is only one more than Kittle and Kelce. These tight ends are tasked with making tough catches in tough parts of the field. Njoku is thriving.
But as good as the on-field work has been, his off-the-field work is what stands out to me. He has become one of the team’s best temperature-raising leaders and it is something the NFL is noticing as well as he gains that national respect.
“Yeah, we practiced on Tuesday of this week, and you’re two days removed from Sunday playing against the Texans. And Dave was flying around like it was training camp” Stefanski noted following the big performance against the Jets. “Now, he was dressed like it was training camp, too, because it was 57 degrees out, but he just looked fresh and was moving. So, I felt really good about Dave going into this game. Joe obviously understands Dave’s skill sets, and getting him the rock on the move is a good thing.”
The Browns have some huge tasks coming in the post-season against elite defenses. They will need to keep up their rampant scoring pace of late. There is little doubt Njoku will be a key focal point of the Browns’ plan.
This is their modern-day version of Ozzie Newsome. At the minimum, Njoku is the best the organization has seen since.
