Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku fired back on social media over the unfounded speculation that he could be a cap casualty.
The clip that caught Njoku’s attention came from the Pro Football Focus NFL Podcast. Hosts Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson were discussing how to “fix” the Browns, with most of the conversation centering around Deshaun Watson’s massive cap hit of nearly $64 million.
While discussing potential cap casualties, Njoku’s name was brought up by Palazzolo. It did come with some praise attached.
“David Njoku is another guy who is a potential cut candidate,” Palazzolo said. “But man, did he start to figure it out last year as a legit playmaker. If the Browns are going to get Deshaun back to 2020 or 2019 standards, they have to do it with better pass catchers. It can’t just be Amari Cooper and David Njoku. It has to get even better.”
Njoku reposted a clip of the conversation with the caption: “@adamrank
Get ya lil bro pls.”
Tagging Rank — an NFL Network analyst — was Njoku’s way of calling the take as blasphemy. Njoku has some history with Rank. He predicted a miserable 2023 season for Cleveland, which ended up finishing 11-6 despite some significant injuries. Njoku called out Rank by name after locking up a playoff spot in Week 17.
“I’m sure when everybody got hurt, everybody doubted us,” Njoku said in December. “Everybody said we weren’t going to do whatever. There’s a guy, Adam Rank — that guy sucks. We hold our own fate. We pushed through — earned that. The guys in this locker room should be proud of that, but understand that there’s a lot more that we can do.”
For what it’s worth, Monson defended the clip mentioning Njoku.
“I mean this isn’t at all taken out of context or misrepresenting a larger body of analysis,” Monson tweeted.
Browns TE David Njoku Coming Off Pro Bowl Season
When it comes to Njoku as a cut candidate, it doesn’t make much sense. It would have minimal, if not detrimental effects on Cleveland’s cap space to part ways with the 2017 first-round pick. On top of that, Njoku is coming off his first Pro Bowl season.
Njoku led the Brown with 81 receptions (81) and notched career-highs in yardage (882) and touchdowns (6). He also has his head coach on his side. Kevin Stefanski sang Njoku’s praises during a press conference in December.
“There can’t be many better than him when you talk about complete tight ends, whether it’s the run and the pass,” Stefanski said. “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, 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, on the game field.”
Browns May Restructure Deshaun Watson’s Contract
The Browns are currently $7.72 million over the cap but the situation isn’t as dire as it may seem on paper. The NFL salary cap increasing to $255.4 million helped the team’s cause. In addition, the Browns can restructure some of their larger contracts to gain flexbility.
Watson is at the top of that list. The Brown restructured his contract the last two years and could do so again, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
“The Browns retooled many of their top-end players last season, including Watson and Cooper, and will likely do so again over the next few weeks depending on what they decide to spend in free agency and trades,” Cabot said. “With Watson, it’s mostly a matter of when he’s getting the money, not if, and players usually gladly accept the upfront chunk of change to invest or spend as they wish.”
It would open up a chunk of money for the Browns. However, general manager Andrew Berry isn’t ready to make the call yet on if it’s something the team will pursue.
“I’ll be honest, I’m not there yet,” Berry said on February 1, via Zak Jackson of The Athletic. “It’s not a necessity, but it just kind of depends on how we put the plan together.”
